John Rhyne Hughes (born September 9, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Early life and college career

Born in

Picayune, Mississippi Picayune ( ) is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,885 at the 2020 census. The city is located approximately from New Orleans, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport–Biloxi. The Stennis Space Cen ...

, Hughes attended

Picayune Memorial High School Picayune Memorial High School is a grade 9–12 high school located in Picayune, Mississippi, United States. It is in the Picayune School District. Communities in the school district (of which this is the sole comprehensive high school) are al ...

, before matriculating at

Pearl River Community College Pearl River Community College is a public community college in Poplarville, Mississippi. It was founded as Pearl River County Agricultural High School in 1909 and became the first junior college in Mississippi in 1921. Residents of Hancock, ...

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

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 70

RBIs A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

in only 171

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

s, while pitching 23.1

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s with a 2.70 ERA, striking out 25 and walking 6. In the summer of 2004, Hughes played for the

Duluth Huskies The Duluth Huskies are an Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball team playing in the Northwoods League, a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league. They have been operating in Duluth, Minnesota since 2003. T ...

in the summer collegiate

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

. Hughes was drafted in the

2003 MLB draft The 2003 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. ''Source:MLB.com 2003 Draft Tracker' First round selections Supplemental first r ...

by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

in the 50th round (1462nd overall), but chose to stay in school at

. In the 2004 MLB draft, he was selected in the eighth round (225th overall) by the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

, receiving a $275,000 signing bonus.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Rays

Hughes made his professional debut in 2005 with Short-Season A

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

, where in 58 games, he hit .279 with 8 HR and 30 RBI. Hughes played 2006 with Single-A

Southwest Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake M ...

, where in 114 games, he hit .233 with 3 HR, 39 RBI and 102 strikeouts in a down year. Hughes began 2007 with High-A

Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about southeast of Orlando along the ...

, where he hit .329 with 12 HR and 57 RBI in 94 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Montgomery on August 1. In 115 games in 2007, he hit .323 with 14 HR and 72 RBI. Hughes played 2008 with Montgomery, where in 107 games, he hit .268 with 14 HR, 52 RBI and 112 strikeouts. After 2008, he played in the offseason in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

with Peoria, where in 27 games, he hit .394 with 5 HR, 27 RBI and 12 doubles. Hughes began 2009 with Montgomery, where he was a Southern League All-Star, joining fellow Biscuits

Jeremy Hellickson Jeremy Robert Hellickson (born April 8, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Na ...

Desmond Jennings Desmond Delane Jennings (born October 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays. Early life Jennings was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the second of three so ...

and Eddie Morlan. In 58 games with Montgomery in 2009, he hit .252 with 15 HR, which led the league at the time of his promotion, and 46 RBI. On June 9, Hughes was promoted to Triple-A

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

Baltimore Orioles

On August 8, 2009, the

traded

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Gregg Zaun Gregory Owen Zaun (; born April 14, 1971) is an American baseball analyst, public speaker and a former professional baseball catcher, currently he is the interim manager for the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. He played for nine ...

to the Rays for cash or a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

. A week later, the Orioles announced that Hughes was the player who would complete the trade. He was assigned to Triple-A

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

after the trade. In 76 games at Triple-A between Durham and Norfolk, he hit .301 with 10 HR and 33 RBI. Hughes was added to the Orioles'

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

in November 2009, protecting him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) 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 lea ...

. Hughes was invited to spring training with the Orioles in 2010, where in 15 games, he hit .316 with 3 HR and 6 RBI before being cut on March 26. Hughes began 2010 with Norfolk and was their Opening Day right fielder. On April 24, 2010, Hughes was recalled by the Orioles, replacing

Justin Turner Justin Matthew Turner (born November 23, 1984), nicknamed "Red," is an American professional baseball infielder and designated hitter for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles ...

. He split time at first base with the struggling

Garrett Atkins Garrett Bernard Atkins (born December 12, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. Between 2003 and 2010, he played for the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles. Amateur career High school career Atkins attended Unive ...

in his time up. He set a franchise record by recording an RBI in his first 3 games in the major leagues. However, his initial success did not hold up, as he went 3-24 in the last 8 games of his 14-game stint with the Orioles. On May 16, he was optioned back to Norfolk. With the Orioles he hit .213 with 4 RBI. He finished 2010 with Norfolk, where in 104 games, he hit .258 with 10 HR and 39 RBI. On November 18, Hughes was outrighted off the 40-man roster. Hughes played 2011 with Norfolk where in 92 games, he hit .249 with 15 HR and 59 RBI. After the season, Hughes was given a 50-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Hughes played 2012 with Double-A Bowie, where in 75 games, he hit .278 with 13 HR and 51 RBI.

New York Mets

On February 25, 2013, Hughes signed a minor-league deal with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. He played 2013 with the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

. He missed 2 months of the season with left shoulder/arm pain. In 53 games, he hit .278 with 5 HR and 30 RBI. On November 4, Hughes elected free agency. Hughes was given a 100-game suspension on February 21, 2014, for exogenous testosterone. This is effective when Hughes signs with another affiliated organization.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Hughes signed with the

Winnipeg Goldeyes The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional minor-league baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Goldeyes play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, which they joined in 2011. Previously, the Goldeyes were members of ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

in March 2014.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Rhyne Living people 1983 births Baltimore Orioles players Hudson Valley Renegades players Southwest Michigan Devil Rays players Vero Beach Devil Rays players Montgomery Biscuits players Durham Bulls players Norfolk Tides players Bowie Baysox players Binghamton Mets players People from Picayune, Mississippi Pearl River Wildcats baseball players Peoria Javelinas players Gigantes del Cibao players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Duluth Huskies players