Evan Longoria

Evan Michael Longoria (born October 7, 1985), nicknamed "Longo", is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Longoria played college baseball for the Long Beach State Dirtbags, winning the CSN Bay Area 2005 Cape Cod League MVP and 2006 Big West Conference Co-Player of the Year. He was selected by the Rays in the first round as the third overall pick in the 2006 MLB draft. After two seasons in the minors, he made his major league debut for the Rays in 2008, and was named to the American League team for the 2008 MLB All Star Game. Longoria was also named the 2008 American League Rookie of the Year. He made the All-Star team three times, being selected from 2008 to 2010. Longoria appeared in two World Series, first with the Rays during his rookie season in 2008, and later with the Diamondbacks during his final season in 2023. The 15-season gap between Longoria's two World Series appearances is the longest for a position player in MLB history. He had one of the biggest hits in Rays' history when he hit a 12th-inning walk-off home run in the last game of the 2011 season, snapping a tie with the Boston Red Sox in the race for the American League wild card spot, and sending his team into the postseason.

Longoria was known for his acrobatic defense, having won three Gold Glove Awards at third base, in 2009, 2010, and 2017. Longoria owns many Rays franchise records, including the career records for games played, runs, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, walks, and Wins Above Replacement, and is thus often considered the best player in the franchise's short history.