| Longoria established himself as one of the top few prospects in baseball in 2007, batting .307/.403/.528 with 21 homers and 76 RBIs in 105 games at Double-A Mongtgomery. Although he missed a month of the season due to a promotion at the end of the season to Triple-A Durham, the smooth-fielding infielder still finished as the Southern League leader in RBIs, earning the league's MVP award.
Longoria, a first-round pick out of Long Beach State in 2006, then continued to produce in Durham, posting a line of .269/.398/.490 in 31 games with the Bulls. He helped guide the Bulls deep into the postseason as well, hitting .375 with four doubles, two home runs and six RBIs.
Between stints at both levels, he combined to hit 26 home runs while accumulating 95 RBIs, 73 walks and an on-base percentage of .402, inching closer to the big leagues with every swing.
Longoria, a.304 career minor league hitter blessed with lightning-quick wrists at the plate, has shown a smooth, compact swing that generates remarkable bat speed. If he can adjust to off-speed pitching and improve upon his timing mechanism as a hitter, he could easily hit 30-plus home runs for the Rays during his rookie season and beyond.
Headed into spring training, he appears to be an early-season favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors in the American League. |
