Thursday, January 10, 2008

High expectations for Longoria

The Tampa Bay Rays emerged from three days of organizational meetings Thursday and still are not sure what to do with Evan Longoria when spring training starts next month.

Do they hand him the third base job and get out of his way?

Do they make him earn it during the exhibition season?

The Rays know this: Longoria is their third baseman of the future and that future will begin sometime this season, possibly as early as Opening Day.

While the Rays are still hesitant on where he fits in, others are already sold on the 22-year-old right-handed power hitter.

Baseball America lists Longoria as the Rays top prospect and will probably list him as baseball’s top prospect as well.

The Sporting News included Longoria in a feature on “the next wave of stars about to rise over the sports universe” in its Dec. 24 issue.

The magazine called Longoria “one of the biggest and brightest starts in baseball’s universe.”

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