Rhymes Grabs 2B Job in Detroit
Will Rhymes has long been a favorite of mine. He entered spring training in 2011 looking to carve out a bench role on a veteran club. But the young player with 191 career MLB at-bats ended up winning the starting second base job for the Tigers, according to manager Jim Leyland. Rhymes edged out early 2010 potential rookie of the year Scott Sizemore, an offensive-minded infielder who fell on hard times and posted a wOBA of just .284.
Rhymes is an interesting player who stands just 5’9” and 155 lbs. Despite his diminutive frame, he knows how to handle the bat. With his first taste of the Majors, the infielder batted .304/.350/.414 in 2010. A left-handed hitter, Rhymes batted more than .300 against southpaws at both the MLB level and at triple-A. He’s shown the ability to hit for average throughout his minor league career, while also stealing 20+ bases. His walk rate was OK at 6.6 BB% but his strikeout rate was impressive at just 8.4 K%; he puts the ball in play and also showed a propensity for line drives (23.2 LD%). If we’re looking for negatives to Rhymes’ game, aside from the lack of power, his defense is average at best. He has sure hands, but his range is iffy and he doesn’t have the best foot work around the bag.
It will be interesting to see what he can do over the course of a full season. There is no guarantee, though, that Rhymes will get to play an entire year at the keystone. Veteran Carlos Guillen is currently on the disabled list with knee soreness. He’s owed $13 million for 2011 so he’ll have a spot as soon as he’s healthy. Despite the feel-good story for Rhymes as the 2011 season looms, he’s likely not the long-term answer at the position. He’s going to be 28 years old on April 1.
Rhymes will bring important elements to the lineup. Firstly, he brings some smart base running and some speed; Rhymes and Austin Jackson could provide a real spark at the top of the lineup. As well, Rhymes would fit in well at the top of the lineup in the No. 2 hole. If he can maintain his .350 on-base average, he could score a lot of runs – or help move the runners ahead of him into scoring position for the big boppers like Magglio Ordonez, Victor Martinez, and Miguel Cabrera.
This move may not receive a lot of attention, but the addition of Rhymes offers an important element to the Tigers’ 2011 starting lineup.
Marc Hulet has been writing at FanGraphs since 2008. His work focuses on prospects and fantasy. Follow him on Twitter @marchulet.
I was robbed. This is BS.
Ah the 1011 Tigers starting lineup, what wrath will ye betow upon the arm-slingers this year.
That should read ‘bestow’. Blasted typographs.
the 1011 thing wasn’t a typo though? 🙂
The Tigers were great that year, before they lost so many guys to the Crusades.
Since 1011 is binary for 11, technically his notation is correct (or would be correct if it was written as ‘1011).
Typing out 11111011011 for the year would just be inconvenient and unwieldy.
This time last year, it was Sizemore – supposedly good at everything but not excellent so never a top prospect- who was the feel good story.
I want to know what Rhymes and Sizemore can do! But I don’t think they’re going to get a chance at 500PAs before they’re 30. (Raburn, anyone?)
Assuming Guillen comes back some time, how often would Guillen DH, VMartinez catch, and Rhymes play? What is the split of time between Avila and VMartinez project to be? What would happen if Avila has as much problems hitting this year as last?
“diminutive frame”, “walk rate was OK at 6.6 BB% but his strikeout rate was impressive at just 8.4 K%”, “lack of power, his defense is average at best”, “some smart base running and some speed”, “provides a spark” and he’s white. Is this the 2nd coming of David Eckstein!?
The notion that Rhymes isn’t a good defender is at best ignorant and at worst flatly wrong. I’m assuming that evaluation is based on UZR from a mere 412.2 innings in the field last season. It’s widely understood that this is far too small a sample size to gain anything from UZR.
The Fielding Bible had Rhymes as a +8 last season. This was good enough to place him 8th on the full season 2nd base leaderboard, despite the limited innings.
It’s also widely understood that he’s a mediocre fielder. He has no range and has a weak arm.
Interesting. Bill James and John Dewan’s system says he’s an excellent fielder. I guess the rest of you have a better way to evaluate.
So, the sample size is too small for UZR, but not for Dewan and James? C’mon.
He’s a mediocre fielder because his scouting report in his entire minor league career has been that he’s a mediocre fielder. Marc didn’t make that up. And like Rhymes’ .750 OPS last season doesn’t mean he’s a .750 OPS player, posting a +8 in 200 plate appearances doesn’t mean that he’s a +8 defender.
Why did assume Marc was going off UZR? You know what happens when you assume….
WHEN YOU ASSUME YOU ARE OFTEN WRONG BECAUSE YOU ARE STATING SOMETHING BASED ON LIMITED OR MISGUIDED INFORMATION, WHEREAS YOU WOULD HAVE STATED SOMETHING DIFFERENT HAD YOU BEEN PRIVY TO THE ENTIRE SET OF ACCURATE INFORMATION HAHAHAHAHAHA
You have a knack for repeating things you’ve heard other people say. If it’s trite, it’s right.
If you’re not going off UZR, please inform me, specifically, what you are using. Please don’t just say “scouting reports” without a link.
I can’t wait for Field f/x
In what world is a 6.6% walk rate “OK”? That puts him in the 25th percentile of major leaguers according to the percentile chart in the Sabr Library. As a too-old AAA player, he did get closer to the 50th percentile, but still. Sizemore is 2 years younger and above average in BB%.
Then you go and undersell Rhymes’s K%! Better than 90th percentile in 2010 MLB, and even if he regresses to his 2008-2009 AAA numbers, he’ll still be 75th or better. And then you look at Sizemore, who between the two levels last year was barely above the 10th percentile. And even if he progresses to what he typically did in the minors on his way up, he’ll be lucky to get to below average.
To conclude: Rhymes’s BB% rate is between terrible and pretty bad. Sizemore’s is OK. Rhymes’s K% rate was elite last year and should at least settle to top quartile. Sizemore’s K% rate was terrible last year, and he’s always likely to be below average (at best) here.
As a Tigers fan this is so disappointing but I can’t say I’m surprised. Leyland seems to have a mancrush on Rhymes and his “gritty” play so I kinda figured this was coming. You would think an organization that has seen guys like Chris Shelton, Brent Clevlen, Brennan Boesch among others crash down to Earth after a hot start would realize not to put too much stock in a small sample size but it seems like that is what they are doing here with Rhymes and Sizemore. Sizemore is clearly the more talented player and has the much better track record but because of less than 200 ABs last year and Spring Training this year they are going to go with Rhymes. Big mistake in my opinion.
If you are a Tigers fan what is with the Mike Lieberthal bobblehead?
And for the record, this was a ridiculous, Leyland-esque, decision. Sizemore is clearly the more-talented player based upon his minor league track record at a younger age, and he outplayed Rhymes in spring training (barely). I’d be okay with the decision if Rhymes was an excellent defender, as the Tigers have very mediocre defence (at best), but the far-superior (defensively) Worth and Santiago are slotted behind Rhymes, for some reason. Leyland drives me insane. I can’t wait to watch him find Don Kelly another 200+ PA’s this year…
Yep, and should Ryan Raburn falter, Brennan Boesch and Clete Thomas are just waiting for another chance.
Good luck in keeping your sanity this year, Tigers’ fans. 😉
For the defense, I’m going off recent scouting reports and personal observation. I try not to go too much of personal observ, though, because I’ve only seen him a handful of times. He is sure-handed, which can help in some systems and I have definitely seen some reports of him having OK range.
As for the walk rate, I would call 3.0% bad, but 6.6% is OK especially for a No. 2 hitter who is going to try and put the ball in play.
They’re both about average defenders, with Sizemore probably a bit below and Rhymes possibly a bit above. However, at the plate it shouldn’t be a question. Sizemore’s thousands of minor league at bats and superior scouting reports should take MUCH more weight than a small sample from Rhymes. Plus Sizemore’s struggles in 10 were largely due to a lingering ankle injury.
Another aggravating decision by Leyland. Sizemore deserves another shot now that he’s fully healthy. It doesn’t seem like he’ll get this shot anytime soon though, unfortunately.
Rhymes might do okay. Sizemore will probably do better. When the organization gets fed up with Rhymes htting .265/.315/.365, they’ll call Sizemore up and he’ll be there in a few hours. That’s the only consolation for me, that Sizemore is right there when (if, I guess) Rhymes starts hitting like he always has.
Who else agrees with the following:
1. Carlos Guillen=sunk cost or close to it.
2. Rhymes should stop sacrifice bunting every chance he gets!? I hate it when Leyland makes his players do it.
Ah but that is one of the main reasons cap’n Jim loves the old scrapper.
And for the record, this was a ridiculous, Leyland-esque, decision.
I don’t see how you can say that. Sizemore has more talent; Rhymes played much better last year; neither has much of an edge this spring. It makes sense, under the circumstances, to give Rhymes his shot, and work on Sizemore in Toledo, with the idea that Sizemore is probably the 2B in the long run. It’s not as Sizemore were out of options.
My issue is that we’ve seen this happen too often in the past…Leyland giving too many at bats to guys who he likes, despite their blatant lack of talent. Whether it be Laird last season, or Kelly, or Rhymes – Leyland has his favourites, and has difficulty getting past their ability to bunt or be scrappy, often at the expense of much more talented players who could help the team more…Avila (who did get his chance after Laird’s aneurysm at the plate), Larish (why was Kelly getting ABs at 1B, 3B and DH?) or Sizemore. We need to figure out if these prospects are going to cut it, and short stints in the majors just drags out the process, until they aren’t prospects any more.