LAKELAND, Fla. -- Will Rhymes has heard plenty of negatives about his future in baseball. He isn't hearing that from manager Jim Leyland.

Amidst a Spring Training in which Leyland has to gauge the Major League readiness of everyone from veterans like Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson to highly-touted prospects Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry, Leyland sees an eventual big league future in Rhymes that belies his size. And Leyland didn't need prompting to say something about it.

"I'm going to throw one out that will knock your socks off: I think Rhymes will play in the big leagues," Leyland said. "I think he's a dirtball."

Leyland means that in a positive way. That's certainly how Rhymes took it.

"It definitely makes me happy to hear that," Rhymes said. "I've always thought that I could, but to hear someone with such experience and such a knowledge of the game say that, it means a lot to me."

Rhymes' belief in his own talent has been a force in his career, starting as a 27th-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft and continuing up the Tigers' developmental ladder despite a small frame -- he's listed at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds -- that could easily get him overlooked. He quietly progressed every year leading into 2008, when his .306 average and 60 RBIs at Double-A Erie served as an offensive breakout. No one in the Eastern League had more base hits, and few hitters in the system finished stronger down the stretch than Rhymes' .384 average in August or his season-ending 11-game hit streak.

He took that momentum into the Arizona Fall League, where he was placed in competition with some of the best prospects in baseball. He more than held his own, batting .287 with 20 runs scored and 10 RBIs in 26 games.

"It was an amazing opportunity," Rhymes said. "I was so grateful for that. Actions speaks louder than words, and the fact that they sent me out there had to mean that someone wanted to see me play on that stage. It meant a lot to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity, just as I'm grateful to be in Major League camp for the first time."

That doesn't mean there wasn't a hiccup along the way. When the Tigers had to make out their 40-man roster, Rhymes was left off, exposing him to the Rule 5 Draft.

"Was I disappointed? Yes," Rhymes admitted. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. But my goal has always been to play in the big leagues, not to make the 40-man roster."

Another seemingly undersized Tigers prospect, catcher James Skelton, went to the Diamondbacks. Rhymes went undrafted, putting him back in the Tigers system. Despite the roster decision, Detroit decided to give him a shot in Spring Training anyway, making him a non-roster invitee to camp.

It's here that he caught Leyland's eye.

"He's got a short, quick stroke," Leyland continued. "He's a left-handed hitting infielder, and I think he's got a chance. Don't get me wrong. Don't accuse me of being [like former manager] Sparky [Anderson], like I've got some [future] Hall of Famer. I'm saying I just think there's a good chance that he'll play in the big leagues. I really like what I see."

Leyland rested all of his regulars in Wednesday's exhibition against Team Panama, allowing some of the youngsters to get some at-bats. Rhymes played the entire game at second base, going 1-for-4.

To open some eyes is a huge honor for Rhymes, but this Spring Training is about more than that. He's trying to use his time around the club to learn, and he has found two role models in shortstop Adam Everett and second baseman Placido Polanco. Neither was a star in the making when they came up, but both have produced long big league careers by being fundamentally solid, quietly productive ballplayers.

"I definitely try to watch both of them," Rhymes said. "Everett, he's so calm when he's fielding the ball, like he just doesn't seem to get bothered by anything. He's just very relaxed and calm, not a lot of movement. I definitely like watching him field balls.

"Just watching Polanco, he's so consistent. Everything looks routine to him, and he never gets in a hurry. That's something I know I need to work on. I get rushed sometimes. These guys, they make the play at their pace. That's something I've really enjoyed watching, how they take ground balls."

If he eventually fulfills Leyland's prediction, this camp could end up being a huge step in the process. But he isn't going to rely on words to get him there.

"To be honest, most things I've heard have been negative in some way," Rhymes said. "But I'm really not worried about what other people think. I know what I'm capable of, and that's what I'm most worried about, how I evaluate what I'm doing. I feel like I know my ability better than most people who would be negative about it."

That said, he added, "It's definitely good to get something encouraging."