Long Beach State University Athletics
Rockies Rookie a Longoria Preview
10/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
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Rockies Rookie a Longoria Preview NEW YORK - Wondering what kind of impact rookie 3B Evan Longoria could have on the Rays next season? Take a look at what rookie SS Troy Tulowitzki has done for the Rockies. They were teammates at Long Beach State, close friends now, and considered similar in ability, attitude and approach. "I don't know that there's a lot of difference," said Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett (a former Rays exec) who scouted both. "We saw a lot of similarities in the two - bodywise, strengthwise, definitely potential with the bat. ... "They even look the same in some ways. And they carry themselves as winners. You know when you're talking to Longoria or Tulowitzki - you're talking to guys that help you win." Tulowitzki was the Rockies' first-round round pick in 2005, debuted at the end of 2006 and this year hit .291 with 24 homers and 99 RBIs, is among the NL rookie of the year candidates and became one of the team leaders. Longoria was the Rays' first-round pick in 2006, hit a combined .299 with 26 homers and 95 RBIs at Double/Triple A this season and, according to manager Joe Maddon, has a 50-50 shot of being the opening day starter. Tulowitzki said there should be no question. "My first thought is I have no clue why he never got called up this year," he said. "He's real good. He can hit. He plays the game the right way. ... "I'm not afraid to say he's going to be one of the best guys on that team, and he's going to be one of the better players in the big leagues. I have a lot of faith in him. I've seen him play and I've seen some other guys play, and comparing his ability to other big-leaguers, he's still a special player." |
