Posts Tagged ‘Evan Longoria’
Sunday, April 20th, 2008
ESPN.com reports that the Tampa Bay Rays’ 3B Evan Longoria agreed to a 6 year, $17.5 million dollar contract that could be worth as much as $44 million over 9 seasons. Pretty good for a kid who has only played 6 major league games. I’m not saying I disagree with locking him up for the future, but that’s setting quite a precedent for young talent. This could significantly affect contract negotiation for talented prospects in the future.
The Rays have become trend-setters with contract negotiation recently. They have agents throughout the industry upset about their new policy of tacking a few one-year club options on the end the guaranteed term. This is essentially a win-win situation for the club; if the player develops as expected they buy out a few years of arbitration and free agency on the cheap, or if the player falters they simply let the options expire. On the flip side, the young prospect gets the security these types of deals provide.
Tags: Evan Longoria, MLB Prospect News, Rays Prospects
Posted in 3B, Evan Longoria, MLBPN Top Prospects, Rays Prospects, Top 5 Prospects | No Comments »
Saturday, April 12th, 2008
Tampa Bay Rays prospect Evan Longoria will make his Major League debut today against the Baltimore Orioles. Opportunity knocked for Longoria when Willy Aybar was placed on the disabled list Friday after missing his second straight game with a sore left hamstring. Time to pick him up in fantasy leagues if he’s available because of the tremendous upside; if he plays well enough during this stint he could keep the job for good.
Tags: baseball prospects, Evan Longoria, Fantasy Sleepers, MLB Prospect News
Posted in 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 3B, Evan Longoria, Rays Prospects | No Comments »
Monday, March 24th, 2008
We’ve been anticipating it for a while now, but still holding out hope that the Rays wouldn’t do it. The Rays informed Evan Longoria that they were reassigning him to minor league camp after the Rays game on Monday. Longoria said that he was “a little bit let down” by the decision, and that the Rays did not give him any kind of timetable for his return to the show.
The Rays pointed to the fact that Longoria has only had 104 ABs above the Double-A level. They say they want to avoid a situation similar to how the Alex Gordon call-up played out last year. Really, though, it all comes down to the economics. If Longoria stays in the minors for even a few weeks, the Rays can delay his free agency until after 2014. If they wait a few months to call him up, similar to Ryan Braun’s situation last year, then they can avoid Longoria qualifying for Super-Two early arbitration eligibility. While there’s no question about whether Longoria can succeed in the majors, it becomes a question of whether or not the Rays can succeed this season even with Longoria for a full season. In the stacked AL East, not many people think the vastly improved Rays can compete in 2008-2009, with or without Longoria. If the Rays are targeting next year or the year after as the year they start to compete, why not delay the arbitration clock on Longoria as much as possible. In short, while any true baseball fan would love to see what this kid could do this with a fulls eason, this move made all the sense in the world for the Rays.
Tags: Evan Longoria, MLB Prospects, Rays
Posted in 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 3B, Evan Longoria, MLBPN Top Prospects, Rays Prospects, Top 5 Prospects | No Comments »
Friday, March 14th, 2008
Nobody seems to know whether Rays third baseman prospect Evan Longoria will start in the majors this year, not even manager Joe Madden. Madden said on February 13 that he would make a decision in a month, so one would expect to hear the news soon. In terms of performance, Longoria has done everything the Rays could have asked for. In eleven games he’s batting .318 with 2 doubles, a triple, a home run, with five RBIs, 5 walks, and a .464 on-base percentage.
According to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, the Rays have been known to take their time in developing youngsters and will ultimately do what is right for Longoria. At this point, fantasy managers should assume he makes the team and draft Longoria as a rookie sleeper with major upside.
Tags: baseball prospects, Evan Longoria, Fantast Sleepers, MLB Prospects, Prospects, Top Prospects
Posted in 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 3B, Evan Longoria, MLBPN Top Prospects, Rays Prospects | No Comments »
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
As always, some good prospect news from an article by ESPN’s legend Peter Gammons:
- Evan Longoria has lived up to the hype this spring, impressing everyone with not only his bat but his stellar glove work as well. Gammons notes that scouts believe Longoria could go for 30 HR in his rookie season if he’s allowed to play all of it. But as Gammons notes, there is still speculation that the Rays might delay his call-up to avoid super-two status. For fantasy sake, we all hope they just let him play.
- A few people in Dodgers camp think that phenom Clayton Kershaw should be with the major league team now. Russell Martin was quoted saying that Kershaw is going to help the Dodgers this year, in line with a similar quote by Joe Torre a couple weeks ago. That the Dodgers are even discussing bringing Kershaw up so early (remember he’s only 19) is testament to his uncanny skill. There was word today that the Dodgers have decided to keep Kershaw at the big league camp through the rest of spring training, but Joe Torre said there is almost zero chance he makes the big league rotation.
- Gammons also notes that Dodgers coach Larry Bowa is very impressed with SS prospect Chin-Lung Hu. His quote was “He can really play defense.” Don’t look for Hu at SS in Los Angeles as long as Furcal is healthy. But Furcal’s contract expires after this season, so the Dodgers would love for Hu to be ready to take over at short next year.
- Check out this gem of a quote Gammons pulled up from one of the Scouts in Arizona this spring: “The best young pitcher I’ve seen in two years out here is Oakland’s Henry Rodriguez. He throws 98 with a devastating breaking ball.” Gammons notes that Rodriguez will not start the season with Oakland, but given these comments and the abundance of opportunity for young players in Oakland this year, it could only be a matter of time before we see this 21-year-old with the big club. That’s pretty interesting stuff, considering Rodriguez isn’t on many people’s radar as a top prospect. He is the #8 prospect in the A’s system according to BaseballAmerica.
Tags: A's, Chin-Lung Hu, Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers, Evan Longoria, Henry Rodriguez, MLB Prospects, Rays
Posted in 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 3B, A's Prospects, Chin-Lung Hu, Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers Prospects, Evan Longoria, Henry Rodriguez, MLBPN Top Prospects, P, Rays Prospects, SP, SS, Top 5 Prospects | No Comments »
Saturday, March 1st, 2008
A few notes from The Heater, a blog from The St. Petersburg Times following the Rays:
- Evan Longoria continues to impress, smashing a triple that scored 2 runs as a pinch hitter in the 6th inning of today’s game. I understand the contract dilemma, but it’s going to be tough to keep this kid out of the majors.
- CF prospect, Fernando Perez flashed the speed that made him #72 on Keith Law’s list of top prospects. This kid could be leading off for the Rays in a few years.
- Stud SS prospect, Reid Brignac, is still out with a broken pinky toe. Manager Joe Maddon expects him to return soon, however.
Tags: Evan Longoria, Fernando Perez, MLB Prospects, Rays, Reid Brignac, Tampa Bay Rays
Posted in 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 3B, CF, Evan Longoria, Fernando Perez, MLBPN Top Prospects, OF, Rays Prospects, Reid Brignac, SS, Top 5 Prospects | No Comments »
Friday, February 29th, 2008
- Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports that pitching prospect Jeff Niemann, who is coming off an All-Star campaign with Triple-A Durham where he went 12-6 with a 3.98 ERA, is competing for one of the final two spots in the Rays rotation. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on this guy. Assuming he doesn’t get benched by the groin injuries that have plagued him in the past, or surpassed by a competitor like Andy Sonnanstine he could be a solid fantasy sleeper if he starts.
- Rays top prospect Evan Longoria hit a game tying double off of fellow top prospect Edinson Volquez of the Reds. Longoria then scored on an single by Shawn Riggans. Longoria finished 1 for 2 with a walk, and is making a strong case to start.
Tags: baseball prospects, Evan Longoria, Fantasy Sleepers, MLB Prospect Watch, Prospects, Sleepers
Posted in 3B, Edinson Volquez, Evan Longoria, Jeff Niemann, Rays Prospects, SP | No Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Brandon Funston of Yahoo Sports put together his list of the top 10 rookies to make a fantasy impact this year. We’ve summarized the basic information for you. He says he didn’t include Kosuke Fukudome even though he’s technically a rookie, and if he had Fukudome would be in his top 3.
- 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, Bos, OF
If CoCo Crisp is out of the picture and Ellsbury bats lead off, could have 40 SBs and 100+ runs
- 2. Clay Buchholz, Bos, SP
Will get babied by BoSox for 125-150 IP, 10 wins, and a k/ip
- 3. Joba Chamberlain, NYY, RP
Will be starting in the bullpen, limited to 140 IP or less, probably will make the rotation at some point
- 4. Evan Longoria, TB, 3rd Base
Funston predicts .280/20/75/75/0, if he starts
- 5. Geovany Soto, ChC, Catcher
Probably won’t be a top 100 fantasy player, but could have good value if drafted late
- 6. Joey Votto, Cin, 1st Base
Stuck behind 38 year old Scott Hatteberg but could get 20 HR and 10-15 steals with 450 ABs
- 7. Andy LaRoche, LAD, 3B
It’s between him and Nomar Garciaparra for the starting 3B role, has 20-25 hr power if he gets the job
- 8. Jay Bruce, Cin, OF
Norris Hopper/Ryan Freel will limit his chances of starting in the majors, but with the talent he has he should be up before the All-Star break
- 9. Colby Rasmus, StL, OF
Could be a 20/20 guy if he surpasses one of the current outfielders: Chris Duncan, Rick Ankiel, or Ryan Ludwick
- 10. Ian Kennedy, NYY, SP
Has held hitters to under .190 in 168 minor league innings. With the Yankees bat support he could reach double digit wins.
Tags: Andy LaRoche, baseball prospects, Baseball Sleepers, Clay Buchholz, Colby Rasmus, Evan Longoria, Evan Lonoria, Fantasy Sleepers, Geovany Soto, Ian Kennedy, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Kosuke Fukudome, MLB Prospect News, MLB Prospects
Posted in 1B, 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 3B, Andy LaRoche, C, Cardinals Prospects, Clay Buchholz, Colby Rasmus, Cubs Prospects, Dodgers Prospects, Evan Longoria, Geovany Soto, Ian Kennedy, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jay Bruce, Joba Chamberlain, Joey Votto, Kosuke Fukudome, OF, RP, Rays Prospects, Red Sox Prospects, Reds Prospects, SP, Yankees Prospects | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
We covered the pitching prospects below, now we’ll cover the hitting prospects. As mentioned before, MiLB.com put together a compilation of the best Q&A’s from recent MLB.com Mailbags. The answers are provided by beat writers for each respective team. We’ve summarize some of the more juicy prospect news below:
- Colby Rasmus’ call-up could be delayed for business reasons. A few days ago we discussed how Evan Longoria is in the same position. The Cardinals could gain an extra year of free agency with a short delay, and avoid Super-Two status with a mid-season call-up.
- Dodgers’ SS prospect Chin-Lung Hu will more than likely start the season at Triple-A. But with Rafael Furcal’s contract up after this season, look for Hu to compete for that position next Spring.
- Giants’ IF prospect Eugenio Velez could steal a whole lot of bases if given the opportunity. Velez has 122 stolen bases between the past two seasons.
- The MLB.com author argues that the Braves might be better off keeping BA’s 70th ranked overall Brandon Jones (OF) at Triple-A this season. The thought is that allowing him to play every day will be better for his development than sticking him in a major league platoon with Matt Diaz.
- Jesus Flores has not lost his status as the Catcher of the future for the Nationals; the future has just gotten a little further away. It seems he will spend at least a portion of the season at Triple-A due to the signings of Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada.
- Nolan Reimold could see some playing time in Baltimore this season, just not in April. With CF and RF firmly occupied by Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, the only option for Reimold is in Left. Luke Scott will have to really struggle or get injured for the Orioles to make the call for Reimold this season.
- Look for Jed Lowrie to be this year’s version of Jacoby Ellsbury, a late season call-up with immediate impact. Lowrie is currently playing shortstop, but could probably play any infield position and “can flat-out hit”.
Tags: , Adam Jones, Brandon Jones, Braves, Cardinals, Chin-Lung Hu, Colby Rasmus, Dodgers, Eugenio Velez, Evan Longoria, Giants, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Jesus Flores, Johnny Estrada, Luke Scott, MLB Prospects, Nationals, Nick Markakis, Nolan Reimold, Orioles, Paul Lo Duca, Rafael Furcal, Red Sox
Posted in 2008 Fantasy Draft Sleepers, 2B, Brandon Jones, Braves Prospects, C, CF, Cardinals Prospects, Chin-Lung Hu, Colby Rasmus, Dodgers Prospects, Eugenio Velez, Evan Longoria, Giants Prospects, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Jesus Flores, LF, Nationals Prospects, Nolan Reimold, OF, Orioles Prospects, RF, Red Sox Prospects, SS | No Comments »
