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Lincoln's Rhault taken in MLB Draft |
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Thursday, 11 June 2009 |
By BRENDAN McGAIR
LINCOLN – It was 4 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, and Dan Rhault had a nervous twitch about him. After intently following the progress of Day 2 of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Lincoln native thought he needed a breather away from the computer.
Luckily for Rhault, his good buddy Luke Abraham was still on draft watch.
“Luke just started yelling,” Rhault said a few hours upon learning the Tampa Bay Rays pegged him in the 26th round (No. 799 overall).
Needless to say, elation engulfed the Rhault homestand. So too did a wave of text messages and phone calls, all wishing him congratulations. A Tampa Bay representative phoned Rhault some 90 seconds after Abraham saw his name pop up on the draft tracker.
“I was so pumped, it’s a dream come true,” said the 22-year-old Rhault.
The reason for Rhault’s nervousness leading up to his ecstasy was that the URI product believed he would get scooped up before the completion of the second day of the three-day amateur hour(s), which would halt after 30 rounds were in the books. Rhault wound making the cut with four rounds and two picks to spare.
The teams that Rhault mentioned he engaged in the most contact with were San Diego, Philadelphia and Oakland.
While Rhault knows he cast himself in a favorable light after enjoying a banner senior season at Rhode Island – one that saw the 6-foot-2, 190-pound shortstop cop Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors – he was also bracing for the possibility that he might have played his last competitive game. Those were the emotions this Lincoln High graduate (Class of 2005, same as Abraham) had swimming through his head the days leading up to the draft.
“I was pretty nervous because you truly don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Rhault. “It was pretty nerve-wracking, knowing that it could have been the end of your career.”
Turns out Rhault has to write a new chapter in his baseball odyssey. For that, he is grateful.
“It’s nice to see yourself get rewarded after a lot of hard work,” he added.
Rhault left his prints on every hitting statistic for the Rams this spring, finishing with a .393 batting average, 60 RBI, 12 home runs, three grand slams, 25 multiple-hit games, 15 multiple-RBI games, a .657 slugging percentage and a .460 on-base percentage.
His 60 RBI marked a new single-season record. For his offensive onslaught, Rhault landed on several notable postseason teams (Honorable Mention on All-Ping! Baseball National Team, First-Team ECAC All-Star and Second-Team All-New England).
Rhault’s play and confidence starting taking off in 2008, when he led Rhody with a .318 average and six home runs. He credits the turnaround to simple message conveyed by head coach Jim Foster.
“I struggled early on in my college career, focusing on the results of each at-bat,” Rhault recalled. “Coach Foster would say that it’s important with what goes on between your ears. That’s when things really changed for me.”
Rhault was one of three Rhode Island players chosen Wednesday, raising the school’s two-day total to four. Right-handed pitcher Eric Smith kicked off the process when he was taken in the second round (No. 60) by the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday. Joining Rhault in hearing their names called Wednesday were pitcher Nick Greenwood (San Diego, 14th round, No. 414 overall) and fellow hurler Luke Demko (San Francisco, 29th round, No. 867).
For URI, the four draftees double the program’s previous high.
“Hopefully this will serve URI baseball well and show that you don’t have to go to Miami or Cal-State Fullerton to get noticed,” said Rhault. “These are results of the hard work the coaching staff has put in.”
Rhault has a small inkling where he’ll report for summertime duty, either Hudson Valley of the short-seasoned New York-Penn League or Princeton, W. Va., a rookie league program.
“I can’t wait to get into the Tampa organization,” said Rhault. “Hopefully I do well.”
Rhault hopes to reach out to someone who is familiar with the ins and outs of the Tampa Bay developmental program. Rocco Baldelli is first cousins with Ed Hunt, who served as Rhault’s head coach at Lincoln High.
“That would be unbelievable. Rocco’s a great player, someone I’ve watched and looked up to,” said Rhault. “I don’t know what to expect, but I’m sure everyone else who got drafted is saying that.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 June 2009 )
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