10 FACTS ABOUT EVAN LONGORIA
Here are 10 things to know about new Giants third baseman Evan Longoria:
1. His Twitter handle is @Evan3Longoria
2. Hit 20home runs last year to join Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews as the only third basemen in major league history* to hit at least 20HR in nine of their first 10seasons. (Mathews did it 14times, from 1952-65.)
3. Plays the drums and could often be heard practicing before games at Tropicana Field. One of his most prized possessions is a drum head signed by the members of the band Rush.
4. Played more games than anyone in the majors over the past five seasons (201317). Longoria’s 798 games topped Alcides Escobar (792), Kyle Seager (792), Nick Markakis (789) and Robinson Cano (784).
5. Evan and his wife, Jaime, have two kids: daughter Elle Leona (4) and son Nash Harrison (3). They also have two dogs, Lucy and Tatum, a 120-pound, 7-year-old Boerboel Mastiff rescue born in South Africa.
6. Ranked second among American League third basemen with 11 Defensive Runs Saved, according to FanGraphs, his best mark since 2013(12runs saved). In Baseball America’s annual Best Tools survey, Longoria was rated the No. 3 defensive third baseman in the AL, behind Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles and Adrián Beltré of the Texas Rangers.
7. Was the Rays nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team. Heading into last season, his homers had raised $61,300 for the Pet Pal Animal Shelter thanks to pledged donations.
8. Hit for the cycle last Aug. 1 to join Melvin Upton Jr. as the only Rays to accomplish the feat. Longoria capped his cycle with a ninth-inning double that required an instant replay ruling. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time under the replay system that a cycle involved a challenge. Longoria donated his batting helmet from the game to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
9. In his two-year career at Long Beach State, he batted .336 with 16 HR and 73 RBI. Longoria played primarily third base, but as a sophomore in 2005, he filled in at shortstop for the injured Troy Tulowitzki.
10. Teammate Brad Miller once described Longoria this way to Baseball America: “He’s so much fun to watch. … He comes to the field every day, is the first one here and works his butt off. And when the lights turn on, he’s the real deal. He’s our leader and it’s fun to play alongside him.” *Minimum half of games at third base each year