John Rhyne Hughes is a Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 first baseman

First baseman

First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...

 currently a free agent.

Early life

Born in Picayune

Picayune, Mississippi

Picayune is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 10,878 at the 2010 census. Located approximately from New Orleans, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport/Biloxi...

, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, Hughes attended Picayune Memorial High School

Picayune Memorial High School

Picayune Memorial High School is a grade 9–12 high school located in Picayune, Mississippi, United States.-Notable Past Coaches:Jimmy Johnson, of University of Miami, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins coaching fame, and two time super bowl winning coach, was an assistant football coach in 1966.Butch...

, before matriculating at Pearl River Community College

Pearl River Community College

Pearl River Community College is a public community college in Poplarville, Mississippi, USA. It was founded as Pearl River County Agricultural High School in 1909, then became the first junior college in Mississippi in 1921.-History:...

. During his final college season, he hit .404 with 17 home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and 70 RBIs

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

 in only 171 at-bats, while pitching 23.1 innings with a 2.70 ERA, striking out 25 and walking 6. In the 2004 MLB Draft

2004 Major League Baseball Draft

The 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...

, he was selected in the 8th round (225th overall) by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, receiving a $275,000 signing bonus.

Minor league career

On August 8, 2009, the Orioles traded catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

 Gregg Zaun

Gregg Zaun

Gregory Owen "Gregg" Zaun is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He is the nephew of former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey. Zaun was a high school teammate of Mark Loretta...

 to the Rays for cash or a player to be named later

Player to be named later

The concept of the "player to be named later" is most often associated with Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball trades.-Description:...

. A week later, the Orioles announced that Hughes was the player who would complete the trade. In five seasons in the minor leagues, Hughes has hit .281 with 71 HR and 299 RBI in 2138 at-bats, with an OPS

On-base plus slugging

On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...

 of .808. Hughes was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster in November 2009, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft

Rule 5 draft

The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...

.

Major League career

Rhyne got his first major league hit on April 24, 2010 at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. The hit was on the first pitch he saw in the majors.

External links