Longoria, up for AL Rookie of the Year, is making all the right moves.
By JOEY JOHNSTON
The Tampa Tribune
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Nov. 10, 2008.
ST. PETERSBURG – Evan Longoria’s favorite video game is “Guitar Hero.” He rocks out to Guns N’ Roses and, according to selected witnesses, performs a stirring rendition of “Free Bird,” despite its degree of difficulty.
“Sometimes, it’s kind of fun to lose yourself in the music,” said Longoria, who turned 23 last month.
Then it’s back to the reality of Longoria’s evolving life.
“Baseball Hero.”
It’s not a game.
Longoria, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, is today expected to be named American League Rookie of the Year, the fitting punctuation mark on a stunning debut season. It set a tone for the worst-to-first Rays, who reached the World Series, but it also propelled Longoria into an unlikely spotlight.
Six years ago, as a high school player in Downey, Calif., he went undrafted. No four-year university offered him scholarship money, so he headed to junior college. Even this season, after the Rays made him the third overall draft pick in 2006, he began in the minor leagues.
And now?
He has Mike Alstott-like popularity.
Hot-selling Longoria replica jerseys were spotted everywhere at Tropicana Field – on children, old men and, especially, women. During the playoffs, Rays fan Vanessa Giesking carried around a homemade poster that announced her affection.
“Mrs. Longoria,” it read (with arrows pointing to Giesking).
“Ohhhhhh, we just love him,” said Brittany Jacobs, 17, of St. Petersburg, who sometimes refers to her favorite player as “Heaven” Longoria.
“I think Evan definitely has some crossover appeal,” Rays fan Carlos Hernandez said. “Baseball purists appreciate the way he approaches the game. The kids idolize him. The ladies, obviously, are interested. He’s going to be the king of this area.”
Going to be?
As the ominous-sounding violin solo blasted throughout the Trop, part of the “walk-up” music (“Down & Out” by Tantric) that preceded each Longoria at-bat, fans stood and cheered in anticipation, before the player was even announced.
Longoria generally didn’t disappoint. He led all rookies with 27 home runs and a .531 slugging percentage. In his first playoff game, Longoria blasted two home runs, becoming only the second player in history to homer in his first two postseason at-bats. Overall, he had six postseason homers (only four players have hit more in a single postseason, one of them teammate B.J. Upton with seven).
At the same time, Longoria went 1-for-20 with nine strikeouts against the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming the first rookie to start a World Series with 16 consecutive hitless at-bats since 1935 (Flea Clifton, Tigers). In the postseason, he batted just .194.
“There’s a lot coming at you in this game, so you can’t get too carried away [when things are good] or beat yourself up [when things are bad],” said Longoria, who signed a long-term contract just six games into his major-league career that could be worth $44 million over nine seasons.
That attitude underlines Longoria’s appeal to his teammates.
“He doesn’t get a big head at all – ever,” said Rays outfielder Eric Hinske, a former AL Rookie of the Year with the Blue Jays (2002), who is Longoria’s closest confidante on the team. “If he did, we’d probably pound him into the ground. But really, he’s just an even-keeled dude, a California dude. It doesn’t seem like his heart is beating fast all of the time. He loves this stage, just relishes it. He’s on the way to being great.”
Longoria is aware his every move is now noticed – and dissected.
He said he enjoys interacting with fans, signing autographs and seeing the wave of Longoria jerseys in the stands.
“But really, I don’t get bothered much at all,” Longoria said. “This city is pretty easy as far as how you’re accepted. I’m able to go out, eat and enjoy myself. I enjoy being in the spotlight. But at the same time, you want your privacy and the people are really good about [letting you have] that here.
“It’s a process. I mean, I’m young. When you’re a first-round pick and you get to the big leagues at 22, there’s almost a sense that you’ve got to mature. You have to grow up a little faster and learn how to handle yourself.”
That has never been a problem for Longoria, according to Rays outfielder Fernando Perez.
“I played with Evan in the minors quite a bit,” Perez said. “All eyes are on him now and there’s some pressure. But I was around him when nobody knew who he was and I’m around him now. I don’t see a lot of difference.
“You might call him a normal 23-year-old guy, but there’s no such thing as that where he’s concerned. What he’s doing is not normal. But the way he acts makes it normal, if that makes any sense. Bottom line: I’m going to load up on Longoria T-shirts. Hey, those are good investments.”
It’s a season where accomplishments have piled up, like points in a video game.
Homers and superb defense. The All-Star Game. The Home-Run Derby. The World Series. Becoming the area’s newest sports heartthrob.
“Baseball Hero.”
For Evan Longoria, it’s not a game. It’s reality.
