Evan Longoria: The Veteran Presence in the Desert
Photo by: Lachlan Cunningham (Getty Images)
Evan Longoria, at 37 years of age, is in the process of completing his 15th year in the league. To put that into perspective, whenever my elementary school held its annual book fair in the library and I’d make a beeline to the sports section, Longoria’s name and picture would appear in nearly every single one…Evan Longoria this, Evan Longoria that. And specifically, the caption that serves as a sign of the times, “Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays”.
Photo by: Ezra Shaw (Getty Images)
Photo by: Gail Burton (Associated Press)
Back then, in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Longoria and the Rays were synonymous and inseparable. Fast forward ten-plus years, he’s in the midst of his 6th season since being traded from the Rays and his first with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Photo by: J. Meric (Getty Images)
In his second series against the Rays since his departure (the first was in 2019 when the Rays visited the Giants), he’s four-for-seven (.571) with a home run against rookie Taj Bradley. However, he has still yet to step foot into Tropicana Field as an opposing player, as in both series so far, Longoria’s team has been the home team; the Rays the road team.
Photo by: Tyler Drake (Arizona Sports)
Longoria has settled into his role with the Diamondbacks quite well this season. In 41 games this season, he has a .252 batting average to pair with 11 home runs and 21 runs batted in. The Diamondbacks have 16 players on their 26-man roster who have 3 years or less of MLB experience and part of the attraction for Longoria to go to Arizona in the offseason was their youth and potential. He’s been known to be the ultimate professional on and off the field for years, contributing with solid play as well as helping out younger players. And it’s shone through more than ever this year in the desert. As the first half of the season comes to a close, it seems things have worked out thus far for both Longoria and the Diamondbacks as a whole, sitting atop the NL West and exceeding expectations.