Raph Rhymes may have taken the circuitous route to the LSU starting lineup, but the sophomore has proven at least one thing.
The kid can rake.
Seven games into his career, Rhymes, a sophomore designated hitter, is rolling along at an astronomical clip of .429 and is tied for the team lead with 12 RBIs while hitting out of the second spot in the lineup.
“Raph’s a player. He comes to play every day,” said sophomore outfielder Mason Katz. “He’s got a great swing, a great attitude, and you know that if he doesn’t get the job done once, the next time he’s going to get it done.”
Katz may not have known it, but he effectively summed up Rhymes’ journey to LSU — a journey rife with disappointment, determination and success.
Rhymes tried to walk on at LSU following his senior year at Neville High School in Monroe, where he was a three-time All-State performer on the baseball team and an All-District wide receiver.
Even with his athleticism and swing that makes coaches drool, Rhymes had a problem. The Tigers were already laden with talent. A lot of it.
Rhymes impressed LSU coach Paul Mainieri during the tryout but couldn’t latch on to the team that would go on to win the College World Series later that year.
“He was devastated. He went to the walk-on tryouts without high expectations,” said Rhymes’ mother, Carol. “But once he got a part of the team and went through the drills, it was devastating at the very end when he got let go.”
Raph was devastated, but he wasn’t finished.
After failing to make the team as a walk-on, Raph transferred to LSU-Eunice so he could continue playing baseball. It turns out the Monroe native made the right choice.
“He just wanted to play ball, and [LSUE coach] Jeff Willis called him from Eunice because they lost a second baseman,” Carol said. “Raph said, ‘I just want to play baseball, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you all I’ve got.’ He went there with a good set of goals, and he met those goals — surpassed those goals.”
In his lone season as a Bengal, Raph was a force.
He was named the 2010 Division II Junior College player of the year after putting up video-game-worthy stats. Raph batted .483 with 31 doubles, 12 home runs and 98 RBIs while only striking out nine times in 283 at bats.
Raph’s offensive prowess drove LSUE to the Division II JUCO national title and also put him back on Mainieri’s radar.
“He’s a good hitter. He’s got a very compact swing, a line-drive type of swing with occasional power,” Mainieri said. “Usually, something good happens when he puts a swing on the ball.”
Raph said he was surprised at his immediate success.
“I expect a lot out of myself, but I didn’t expect this,” Raph said. “I work hard, and I guess it paid off.”
His teammates have taken notice of his ability, as well.
“We all knew what he did in JUCO ball, and he came here and we knew the ability he had,” said junior outfielder Mikie Mahtook. “He came out here and proved to everyone that he’s going to drive in runs and be the guy for us.”
The only bump in the road for Raph so far has been his defensive play.
The former infielder struggled in his first action this season in the outfield, but Mainieri is confident in Raph’s ability.
“He’s got some versatility. We’re trying to develop him as an outfielder,” Mainieri said. “He has good instincts for a guy who’s never played the outfield. He’s a good athlete, and he throws the ball well.”
Now all Raph might have left to clean up is fans’ proper pronunciation of his name, which isn’t Ralph and doesn’t rhyme with raft.
Raph (pronounced “Rayf”), or Raphael Ray Rhymes, was named after his grandfather, who played third base for LSU from 1954-55.
“Everybody asked when he got there, ‘Who names their kid Raph?'” Carol said. “Well, we already had two Rays, and we needed to shorten his name.”
 
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]