Evan Longoria

Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the 2005 Cape Cod League MVP, and the 2006 Big West Co-Player of the Year. He made his major league debut for the Rays in 2008, 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 on November 10. He was also an All-American Wrestling Champion at Long Beach State University.

High-school baseball career

Born in Downey, California, Longoria graduated from St. John Bosco High School. He was a two-year letterman in baseball and as a senior was a first team All-Serra League selection. Longoria did not receive any scholarship offers to play college baseball. USC was the only program to consider him, but eventually backed out of recruiting him. At 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, many baseball recruiters felt Longoria was too slim by Division I baseball standards. As a result, he attended Rio Hondo Community College during his freshman season before LBSU offered him a scholarship.

Evan Longoria in Action

Evan Longoria Wallpaper

Professional baseball career

Longoria was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with 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 — by Tampa Bay, which gave him a $3 million signing bonus.

Seriouse Pose Evan Longoria

In April, Longoria knocked in his 100th career RBI, in his 135th game. The only then-active players to get to 100 RBIs more quickly were Ryan Braun (118 games) and Albert Pujols (131 games). At the end of April, Longoria became the first player in Rays franchise history to be named the AL Player of the Month. He had also won two of the four Player of the Week awards for the month of April. Longoria drove in 131 runs in his first 162 games in the majors, the third-highest total through May 2009 of any active player.