Evan Longoria

Infobox MLB player


width = 300
name = Evan Longoria
team = Tampa Bay Rays
number = 3
position = Third Baseman
positionplain =
birthdate = birth date and age|1985|10|7
birthplace = city-state|Downey|California
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = April 12
debutyear = 2008
debutteam = Tampa Bay Rays
statyear = 2008 season
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .272
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 27
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 85
stat4label = On base percentage
stat4value = .343
teams =
* Tampa Bay Rays (by|2008-present)
awards=
* All-Star selection (2008)

Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985 in Downey, California) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State college baseball team, the by|2005 Cape Cod League MVP, and the by|2006 Big West Co-Player of the Year. He made his major league debut for the Rays in mlby|2008 and was named to the American League team for the 2008 MLB All Star Game.

High-school years

Longoria attended St. John Bosco High School. He was a four-year letterman in baseball and as a senior was a first team All-Sierra League selection. Longoria did not receive any scholarship offers to play college baseball.

College career

After high school, Longoria attended Rio Hondo Community College where he played shortstop. In his freshman season, Longoria earned first team All-State honors and was offered a scholarship by Long Beach State. He transferred to Long Beach for his sophomore year and hit .320, earning All-Conference honors. Because Long Beach State already had an established shortstop, Troy Tulowitzki, Longoria played third base. Following a successful MVP summer in the Cape Cod League with the Chatham A's, Longoria shared 2006 Big West Player of the Year honors (with Justin Turner) during his junior year at Long Beach State.

Professional career

Longoria was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the third overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Longoria, called the "best pure hitter" among college players in the 2006 draft class by "Baseball America", was given a $3 million signing bonus. [ [http://www.minorleaguenews.com/baseball/affiliated/a/california/oaks/articles2006/10/04/01.html Minor League News: Longoria] ]

Minor leagues

After signing with the Rays, Longoria tore through his first assignments in the minor leagues. After just eight games with the Single-A Hudson Valley Renegades, Longoria moved up to the Visalia Oaks and impressed the organization with his quick success, hitting .327 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI in 28 games. This earned him a promotion to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits where he hit .267 with 6 home runs through the end of the season, and hit .345 in the postseason, including a walk-off two run home run in the Southern League Division Playoffs to put Montgomery into the championship. He was widely considered the top third base prospect in the minors.

Longoria followed up his successful debut with another stellar year in by|2007. Starting the year with Montgomery, Longoria hit .307 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI in 105 games for the Biscuits before a late season promotion to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. In 31 games with the Bulls, he hit .269 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI, but also had 29 strikeouts. He finished 2007 with a combined average of .299, 26 home runs, 95 RBI, and 73 walks for an OBP of .402.

In October 2007, sportswriter Ken Rosenthal opined that Longoria "might be next season's Ryan Braun, making a rapid ascent to the majors." [ [http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7394064?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49] ] Some scouts have in particular said that the way that the ball "explodes off his bat" reminds them of Braun. He was expected to start at third for Tampa Bay in 2008 with the move of Akinori Iwamura to second base, but ultimately failed to make the opening day roster and was optioned to Triple-A Durham. According to reports, the Rays elected to send him down to complete his development, citing his short 31 game stint in Durham and drawing comparisons to the seasons of two other highly-heralded 3rd base prospects.

Major leagues

2008

On April 12, 2008, the Rays placed Willy Aybar on the disabled list and called up Longoria from Triple-A Durham to replace him on the major league roster and on the 40-man roster. Longoria made his major league debut that night going 1 for 3 with an RBI.

Longoria hit his first career home run on April 14, 2008, against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. He had his first career two-homer game on May 24, 2008, and drove in six runs as the Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 11-4. Both of the homers came off the Orioles' Steve Trachsel, a Long Beach State alumnus. On July 19, 2008, Longoria hit his first career grand slam off Toronto's Roy Halladay in the fifth inning as part of a 6-4 winning effort.

On July 10, Longoria won the 2008 All-Star game AL Final Fan vote over outfielder Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox, outfielder Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals, first baseman Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees, and second baseman Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles. Longoria went 1-4 in the game and hit a game-tying ground-rule double in the bottom of the eighth inning. On August 11, Longoria was placed on the disabled list with a fractured wrist

On September 18, 2008, Longoria had his first three home run game against the Minnesota Twins at Tropicana Field. On September 20, 2008, Longoria caught the game-ending out, from Joe Mauer in foul territory as the Rays clinched their first playoff spot in team history.

In 2008, the Rays signed Longoria to a six-year, $17.5 million contract with options for 2014, 2015 and 2016. The first six years of the contract cover his arbitration years, with three more years added by team options. If the team exercises its one-year option for 2014, and then its two-year option for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, the deal could be worth up to $44 million. [ [http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=/mlb/news/AAN4145577.htm Rays lock up top prospect Longoria with long-term deal] ]

Longoria has used I'm Broken by Pantera and currently is using Down and Out by Tantric as his at-bat music.

On October 2, 2008, in the first postseason game for both Longoria and Tampa Bay, Longoria hit two home runs in his first two at-bats to help lead the Rays past the Chicago White Sox 6-4. Longoria is the first rookie and second player overall to homer in his first two postseason at-bats. The first to do so was Longoria's hitting coach at Triple-A Durham, Gary Gaetti, who had his historic effort with the Minnesota Twins in 1987.

Career Stats

small|Roll over stat abbreviations for definitions. Stats through September 28, 2008.cite web| http://www.baseball-reference.com/l/longoev01.shtml | title=Evan Longoria Statistics| work=Baseball-Reference| accessdate=2008-09-12]

External links

*
* [http://www.mopupduty.com/?p=25 Mop Up Duty: Evan Longoria Bio]
* [http://www.scoutingbook.com/players/p2015 The Book on Evan Longoria from "ScoutingBook.com"]
* [http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?pl=446334 Minor League Splits and Situational Stats]
* [http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7969484/Rays-shock-many-by-demoting-prospect-Longoria Rays Shock Many by Demoting Prospect Longoria]