It didn’t take Evan Longoria very long to become the face of the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Drafted 3rd overall by the team in the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft, the Downey, California native became an everyday starter by the 2008 season and went on to play for the Rays for the next 10 years.
Next season things are going to be a little different in Tampa Bay as Longoria is no longer the team’s third baseman following a blockbuster trade with the San Francisco Giants.
One person who has gotten to know Longoria over the years is Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who started his career with the Lightning the same year Longoria became the Rays' starting third baseman.
Following the Lightning’s morning skate on Saturday, Stamkos was asked about the trade and he used his answer to some some love for Longoria.
The 32-year-old third baseman happened to come across Stamkos’ interview and was very appreciative of the kind words from the Lightning captain.
In 1,435 games with the Rays, Longoria hit 261 home runs with 892 RBI to go along with a .270 career batting average and a .341 career OBP. He also owns the franchise record for runs (780), plate appearances (6,151), at bats (5,450), total bases (2,630), doubles (338), home runs (261), RBI (892), walks (569), strike outs (1,220) and games played (1,435),
(H/T Twitter/TBLightning)
