In it for the Long-haul

If Evan is anything like Eva he’s in for a special career.

Evan Longoria’s stint in the minor leagues only lasted 13 games. He was recalled on April 12th, and has no plans on leaving anytime soon. He is playing in a depleted infield and gives the infield a little relief. Thanks to Willy Aybar going on the DL, Longoria has made the most of his opportunities in the league. This first year player out of Long Beach State got his first hit against Baltimore and hit his first homerun against their division foe Yankees.

He was a highly touted player and was considered as high of a prospect as troubled Elijah Dukes and BJ Upton. Assuming Longoria stays out of trouble, unlike Dukes, he could have a big season. He’s young and has no known history on the DL in the minor leagues so he has the rest of the season to improve on what skills he has now along with his endurance. He is currently batting a .233, but already has 4 RBIs and a homerun. He started off strongly batting .333 in his first 3 games, but is 0 for his last 8. A good test of how good he will be depends on how quickly he can get out of slumps. It may be because he’s nervous because he started off hot, or he is feeling his own pressure.

Since not many people know about him there’s not much pressure to be placed on his shoulders. As long as Willy Aybar is on the DL, Longoria will be the everyday starter at third base. If he does well enough, Aybar will be seeing bench time more often than he’d like. Higher management has touted Longoria as the face of the franchise. With a struggling team like the Devil Rays, constantly in the cellar, they are experimenting with line up changes, pitching changes, and even willing to give the reins to younger players. At this point the Rays have nothing to lose.

If Longoria is to be the face of the franchise, he is taking baby steps to get there. You walk before you learn how to run and Longoria is doing just that. The Rays signed him to a 6 year contract which assures that Rays’ management wants him to stick with the team. He does have his work cut out for him playing in a top-heavy AL East, but if groomed the right way, Longoria could take his team far, maybe not this year, but one or two seasos from now.

Longoria was the third overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft coming out of Long Beach State. Touted as the best pure hitter of the in a hitter-happy draft, he hasn’t disappointed. It’s something special when a player spends two seasons in the minor league before they make it to the major level. The average player stint in the minor leagues is 4 years. Don’t be surprised if he’s in talks for MVP in the next two to three years.

If Evan is as talented as Eva, he’s in for a special career.