|
Longoria Hits Double-A with a Hot Bat
by Joe Stevens, Long Beach Press-Telegram
August 20, 2006
LONG BEACH - Evan Longoria's game could have been thrown off when he
joined the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits.
He could have been hindered by the improved pitching. He could have been
listless from Alabama's body-draining humidity that he said makes him
"sweat off 5 pounds" every time he goes out.
But, no, nothing has gotten the former Long Beach State star off his game
in his first professional year.
In his first full week in Montgomery, Longoria was named the Southern
League's Player of the Week and through his first 11 games there, he has
hit .366 with four home runs and 12 RBI.
And get this: He wasn't even earmarked to go to Double-A this year, being
a rookie only a few months out of LBSU.
"I'm just so happy to get to Double-A, and I'm so happy to be doing
so well," Longoria said. "When I got here, I told myself to
not do anything differently. You can't psyche yourself out. You've just
got to keep working hard."
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected Longoria with the third overall pick
in the major-league amateur draft in June. The third baseman was the only
position player selected in the first seven selections, so the expectation
was that he'd have a great bat.
In two months of minor-league ball, his batting has been superb.
Overall, counting his eight games at Single-A Hudson Valley and 28 games
at Single-A Visalia, he has hit .353 with 16 homers and 51 RBI in 47 games.
While the hitting has impressed Montgomery manager Charlie Montoyo, his
mental makeup has been impressive, too.
"It's easy to see why he's a first-round pick," Montoyo said.
"He's special. And it's real easy to tell he's a good kid. When you
talk to him, he listens, and he's open. He plays hard. He didn't come
here saying, 'I'm a first-round pick, and I'm going to do what I want.'
"
For a 20-year-old rookie like Longoria, this year is not only about seeing
how he hits and fields, but how he responds to professional baseball.
"I'm seeing what everybody sees with how good of a player he is,"
Montoyo said. "What he needs to do goes for everybody who plays here.
He needs to get at-bats, get used to life playing every day. He has to
know how to respond when you have a tough night, and then go out and play
the next day - things like that."
In other words, life for Longoria is all about adjusting. He may have
played elite college baseball, but things are much different in Double-A
ball.
"I think the biggest difference is that everybody is the same here,"
Longoria said. "There are not too many weak links. In college, you'd
usually face the best pitcher on Friday, and then there was a dropoff
on Saturday and Sunday."
Another adjustment has been life in Montgomery. Longoria grew up in Downey
and went to St. John Bosco High and had never really experienced humidity
like Alabama's until this year.
Also, the culture of Montgomery isn't exactly like Long Beach. The Biscuits,
who blast biscuits into the crowd as a promotion, are a big part of the
town's sports culture. They've got a quirky mascot named Monty - a biscuit
wearing cleats with a pat of butter for its tongue.
"It's different," he said of the town. "Everything pretty
much closes up at 7 o'clock. It's like a ghost town at night."
He said he can deal with the differences between Montgomery and Long Beach
better than dealing with missing his friends and family. He is looking
forward to a visit from his girlfriend, Savannah Larson, in the upcoming
week.
He also is looking forward to next year.
On the day he was drafted, Longoria said he hoped to be up with the Devil
Rays in two years. The way things are looking, he might even be there
sooner.
"It's been pretty awesome so far," he said. "Hopefully,
I'll start at Double-A next year. If I do well, then maybe I can make
it to Triple-A, and if something happens, then maybe even the big leagues.
"I think, mentally, I'm ready for it."
|
