There is nothing about Bill Rhinehart that suggests major league star in waiting. With his doughy frame (6 feet, 202 pounds), glasses and low draft status (11th round), the Hagerstown Suns’ first baseman possesses almost none of the traits of a player quickly occupying a more prominent place on the Washington Nationals’ radar.
But the beauty of baseball is that its best players don’t always look like action heroes. Results are the common denominator, and this season Rhinehart is providing them.
The 23-year-old is hitting .295 for the Suns, leading the Class A South Atlantic League with 56 RBI and ranking second with 22 doubles. Those numbers come after he hit .299 in 2007 for the Vermont Lake Monsters in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League.
Rhinehart continued his productivity Tuesday night, when he went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBI and was named MVP of the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He was the only player for either team to get three hits, helping the North squad to a 13-4 win over the South in Greensboro, N.C.
The University of Arizona product wrapped up an impressive career with the Wildcats last spring, becoming only the third player since 1950 to lead the team in batting average, homers and RBI. He was drafted as an outfielder and moved to first base once he reached the minor leagues, and gradually he’s supplying the power numbers expected from the position. Rhinehart is slugging .490, though his on-base percentage is only .344.
In the future with the Nationals, he could be blocked at the position with 2006 first-rounder Chris Marrero at Class A Potomac. But if Rhinehart keeps producing the way he has been, he will be tough to ignore.
Marrero sprains ankle
After trying to score from third base on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning of Potomac’s game with Winston-Salem on Wednesday, Marrero left with a sprained ankle. A team spokesman said he likely would go on the disabled list, though an official announcement wouldn’t be made until Friday.
The 19-year-old is hitting .250 with 11 homers for Potomac. He had hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games with a .352 average during that span.
Burgess wins Derby
Rhinehart wasn’t the only Suns player to take home honors from the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. Outfielder Michael Burgess won the home run derby, swatting 16 homers in 38 swings. And more than a few of them left no doubt.
Burgess hit four balls out of Greensboro’s NewBridge Bank Park, clearing a 70-foot scoreboard in right-center on more than one occasion. It’s indicative of the raw power the 19-year-old has shown in Hagerstown while leading the Nationals organization with 14 home runs.
Strong debut for Alaniz
Right-hander Adrian Alaniz picked up right where he left off in his first start for Class AA Harrisburg on Saturday, throwing six shutout innings and allowing three hits. Alaniz, who was 9-0 with Class A Potomac before being promoted, has a 2.40 combined ERA.
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