Arthur Rhodes
| Arthur Rhodes | |
|---|---|
 Rhodes with the Cincinnati Reds in 2009 | |
| Free Agent | |
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: October 24, 1969 Waco, Texas | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| debut | |
| August 21, 1991, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) | |
| Win–loss record | 87–70 |
| Earned run average | 4.08 |
| Strikeouts | 1,152 |
| Holds | 231[1] |
| Saves | 33 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Arthur Lee Rhodes, Jr. (born October 24, 1969 in Waco, Texas) is a Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher currently a free agent.
Career
Rhodes played high school baseball at La Vega High School in Waco, Texas. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft.
Rhodes made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 1991. Rhodes spent 12 years in the Baltimore Orioles organization before being granted free agency after the 1999 season. After signing and playing with the Seattle Mariners for four years, Rhodes signed a contract with the Oakland Athletics.
As a member of the Athletics, manager Ken Macha tried to use him as a closer. However, Rhodes' performance was not strong enough to earn him the job as a closer, and he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates along with Mark Redman and cash for Jason Kendall and cash after one season with the Athletics. In the same offseason, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Matt Lawton and became their top setup man. On January 27, 2006, he was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Indians in a trade for outfielder Jason Michaels.
On January 24, 2007, Rhodes was signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training by the Mariners. Rhodes underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2007 season as a result. He became a free agent after the season.
On January 15, 2008, he re-signed with the Seattle Mariners to a minor league deal, and was invited to Spring Training. He did not make the team to start the season, but on April 14, he was added to the active roster.
On July 31, 2008, Rhodes was traded to the Florida Marlins in exchange for pitching prospect Gaby Hernandez.[2]
On December 12, 2008, Rhodes signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds.[3] On June 29, 2010, Rhodes had a major league record tying streak of 33 scoreless appearances broken by Raúl Ibáñez of the Phillies.
In 2010, Rhodes was selected to his first All-Star Game in his 20th major league season. He was the fifth player to go to his first All-Star Game after age 40, joining Satchel Paige, Connie Marrero, Jamie Moyer, and Tim Wakefield.
On December 23, 2010 Rhodes signed a one year deal with the Texas Rangers, with a vesting option for 2012. He was later designated for assignment on August 2, 2011.[4] On August 8, 2011, Rhodes was released by the Texas Rangers. On August 11, 2011 he signed with the St Louis Cardinals. Given the late signing, the Rangers will have to pay the majority of Rhodes' salary, with the Cardinals only responsible for a pro-rated league minimum for the remainder of the year.
Because the Cardinals and Rangers faced each other in the 2011 World Series, this created a unique situation, with the Rangers paying the majority of a salary to a player who will be trying to beat them for the championship. Rhodes was also eligible to receive a championship ring either way. The Cardinals won the World Series against the Texas Rangers in 7 games.[5]
Through 2011, Rhodes was 2nd of all active pitchers in games played (900), and 7th in hits per 9 IP (7.828) and strikeouts per 9 IP (8.730).[6] While he had been the 10th-youngest player in the AL when he was a rookie in 1991, in 2011 he was the third-oldest player in the AL.[6] He also holds the Major League record for most holds in a career, with 215.[7]
References
- ^ As of 14-Feb-2013: All-time Holds Leaders at MLB.com
- ^ "Marlins acquire left-handed pitcher Arthur Rhodes". Florida.marlins.mlb.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ "Reds sign pitcher Arthur Rhodes". Cincinnati.reds.mlb.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ Nicholson-Smith, Ben. "Rangers Designate Arthur Rhodes For Assignment". MLBTradeRumors.com. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- ^ Henson, Steve (April 20, 2011). "Rhodes gets a World Series ring, win or lose – MLB". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
- ^ a b "Arthur Rhodes Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ "Holds Records by Baseball Almanac". Baseball-Almanac.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
External links
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 1969 births
- Living people
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Seattle Mariners players
- Oakland Athletics players
- Cleveland Indians players
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- Florida Marlins players
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Texas Rangers players
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- African-American baseball players
- Baseball players from Texas
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- National League All-Stars
- People from Baltimore, Maryland
- People from Waco, Texas
- Bluefield Orioles players
- Frederick Keys players
- Erie Orioles players
- Hagerstown Suns players
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Sacramento River Cats players
- Akron Aeros players
- West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players