Character gives Longoria value with 2021 Giants
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When the Giants are discussed, the names most often brought up are Posey, the Brandons, and the franchise’s upandcoming young players.
Lost in the shuffle is a threetime AllStar and Rookie of the Year. But if Evan Longoria, beginning his 14th bigleague season, can put together a solid year, the third baseman could be a difference maker for the team. He’s the one bigname player under contract with the Giants beyond this season, too, which would make any sort of uptick all the more welcome.
Longoria’s relatively low profile since coming
to the Giants in a trade before the 2018 season astonishes those who knew him during his prime with Tampa Bay, where he was a star.
“When he was in Tampa, he was the guy,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who was the Rays hitting coach during Longoria’s prime. “He’s the face of the franchise. They should retire his number when he’s done playing. It sounds like he goes under the radar out there a little bit, which is unfortunate because you know he is an unbelievable human being. He’s a pro’s pro and if you look at his stat line, he’s had a really nice career.”
Diamondbacks catcher Stephen Vogt played with Longoria in Tampa Bay and San Francisco, and he remains a big fan.
“He’s been special since the first time I saw him,” Vogt said. “He’s been an elite talent in the league now for his whole career, arguably one of the best players in this generation, but he’s done it quietly because it’s been in Tampa Bay and on the West Coast. And he’s still a very, very good player.”
Longoria, 35, is still on the plus side when it comes to things such as WAR, though his numbers have slid from a careerbest 8.2 in 2010 to 2.5 in the last full season, 2019, and he’s still capable of hitting 20plus homers. The groundball-rate increase is notable, though: In the shortened 2020 season, more than 50% of his contact produced grounders, compared to under 40% throughout his time in Tampa Bay.
With the addition of versatile Tommy La Stella this winter, Longoria might wind up with fewer atbats if he’s not productive, because — without the universal DH — the Giants will be trying to find ways to get La Stella, Donovan Solano, Wilmer Flores and, when healthy, Brandon Belt into the lineup.
Longoria isn’t wasting time worrying about that.
“I hope that we are able to just put a good lineup out there,” he said. “It is not going to be an issue. I’m not making those decisions. My job is to just prepare myself to play every day, and I feel confident that if Tommy’s out there he’s going to be beneficial to to our lineup.
“It’s not really like replacing an old quarterback in a draft, like taking a young quarterback in the first round. ... It’s a bigger picturetype thing where you’re trying to fill some spots and put a guy in the lineup who can help us succeed. I’m open to to whatever it takes to help us to help us win.”
Being ready to play every day never has been an issue for Longoria. Quite the opposite — he won’t sit even when hurt if he is needed.
“I was with him for one entire year where he played with an injury to the bottom of one of his feet that was so bad, even when he would take swings off the tee you’d see him go to a knee because it hurt so much — but he still went out and played on the (artificial) turf every night,” Shelton said.
“He never complained about it, never took days off, and that’s what really stands out, the fact that he posted every night and wanted to post every night. That’s a true testament to the way he led by holding his teammates accountable for playing hard. He’s got some of that oldschool baseball player in him.”
Longoria’s value to a young team extends beyond the playing field. He’s always taken younger position players under his wing and mentored them.
“Just watching the way he interacted with Mike Yastrzemski in 2019 and others players — he pulls guys aside, they have small quiet conversations and that is so vital to have a veteran presence like that,” Vogt said. “Somebody that everyone can look at and be like, ‘Wow,’ when you see these career milestones that he keeps hitting and you understand how long you have to play and how consistent you have to be to reach these number. It’s a living example in your clubhouse every day of what the expectations are to get to that point.
“I don’t know why he doesn’t get more attention because he should, but he just goes out and he puts his uniform on every day and he’s in the lineup every day, and that’s him. He’s not overlooked by other teams, that’s for sure. When I get asked, ‘Who’s the most professional player you’ve ever played alongside?’ It’s Evan Longoria, through and through.”