Evan Longoria

Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985), nicknamed "Longo", is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent.

Longoria played for the Long Beach State University baseball team, was the CSN Bay Area 2005 Cape Cod League MVP, and was named the 2006 Big West Conference Co-Player of the Year.

Following a successful MVP summer in 2005 in the Cape Cod League with the Chatham A's where he played second base, Longoria shared the Big West Conference Player of the Year honors (with Justin Turner) during his junior year at Long Beach State.

When he first started attending Long Beach State University, he majored in kinesiology.

However, he switched to the department of criminal justice because it was somewhat less time-consuming and, therefore, would not interfere with the baseball schedule as much.

In just two years, Longoria transformed his thin stature into a 6-foot-2 and 210-pounds by the end of his LBSU tenure.

He was drafted by the Rays in the first round as the third overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft.

Longoria was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays as the third overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.

Longoria was called the "best pure hitter" among college players in the 2006 draft class by Baseball America.

He was the highest draft selection in school history.

Tampa Bay gave him a $3 million signing bonus.

After signing with the Rays, Longoria tore through his first assignments in the minor leagues.

In 2006, after just eight games with the short season Single-A Hudson Valley Renegades, Longoria was promoted to the Visalia Oaks and impressed the organization with his quick success, hitting .327/.402/.618 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 28 games.

This earned him a promotion to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, where he hit .267/.266/.486 with six 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 the 2007 Most Valuable Player with the Biscuits as well as a postseason all-star.

On top of that he won a player of the week award.

He was widely considered the top third base prospect in the minors and one of the top prospects at any position.

Longoria followed up his successful debut with another stellar year in 2007.

He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008 through 2017, the San Francisco Giants from 2018 through 2022, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023.

Longoria has appeared in two World Series.

His first appearance was in 2008 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, and his second appearance was in 2023 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 15-year gap between Longoria's two World Series appearances is the longest for a position player in MLB history.

After two seasons in the minors, he made his major league debut for the Rays in, and was named to the American League team for the 2008 MLB All Star Game.

Longoria was also named the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year.

He has made the All-Star team four times, being selected from 2008 to 2011.

He is also known for his acrobatic defense, having won three Gold Glove Awards at third base, in 2009, 2010, and 2017.

Longoria owns many Rays franchise records, including the career records for games played, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, and Wins Above Replacement, and is thus often considered the best player in the franchise's short history.

Longoria's father is of Mexican descent, and his mother is of Ukrainian descent.

He attended St. Raymond Catholic School in Downey, California, which did not have a baseball team.

He graduated from Saint John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.

He was a two-year letterman in baseball, and as a senior was a first team All-League selection.

Longoria did not receive any scholarship offers to play college baseball.

The University of Southern California was the only program to consider him, but eventually backed out of recruiting him.

At 6 ft and 170 lbs, many baseball recruiters felt Longoria was too slim by NCAA Division I baseball standards.

As a result, he attended Rio Hondo Community College during his freshman season, before Long Beach State offered him a scholarship.

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 University.

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 (who became a five-time all-star over a 13-year MLB career), Longoria played third base.

He had one of the biggest hits in Rays' history when he hit a 12th-inning walk-off home run in the last game of the 2011 season, snapping a tie with the Boston Red Sox in the race for the American League wild card spot, and sending his team into the postseason.