Rhodes's athletic journey commenced at West High School in Salt Lake City, where he excelled in baseball, basketball, football, and track, before attending the University of Utah for a year. His professional baseball career spanned 12 years, from 1928 to 1939, with Rhodes spending eight seasons in the major leagues and seven in the minor leagues. His MLB debut came in April 1929 at the young age of 21, after being purchased by the Yankees from the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League.
During his tenure with the Yankees, Rhodes played in 41 games, starting 17, and recorded a 7–9 win-loss record. His career trajectory took a turn in August 1932 when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he achieved a career-high 12 wins in both 1932 and 1933. Despite this success, Rhodes did not secure a winning record during his time with the Red Sox, culminating in a 27–45 record over 124 games.
Rhodes's career concluded with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936, where, despite collecting 9 wins, he led the American League in losses (20) and home runs allowed (26). Over his MLB career, Rhodes posted a 43–74 record with 356 strikeouts and a 4.85 ERA across 200 appearances, including 135 starts and 47 complete games.
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