| With plenty of expectations placed upon his shoulders entering 2007, Longoria batted .307 with 21 homers, a Montgomery single-season record, 76 RBIs, a .403 on-base percentage and finished with a .543 slugging percentage during 105 Double-A games. While missing a month of the season due to a promotion to Triple-A Durham, he still finished as the Southern League's leader in RBIs, one of the reasons that he was awarded with the league's MVP award.
After tearing it up in Double-A, his success immediately translated over to the International League. In 31 regular season games for the Bulls, he compiled a .398 on-base percentage while playing consistent defense. In the playoffs, after becoming fully adjusted to Triple-A pitching, Longoria truly began to excel. With tremendous work ethic and plate discipline well beyond his years, the 22-year-old helped guide the Bulls deep into the postseason by hitting .375 with a four doubles, two home runs and six RBIs.
Between stints at both levels, he combined to hit .299 with 26 home runs, 95 RBIs, 73 walks and an on-base percentage of .402, inching closer to the big leagues with every swing.
Longoria, a.304 career minor league hitter blessed with lightning-quick wrists at the plate, has shown a smooth, compact swing that generates remarkable bat speed. If he can adjust to off-speed pitching and improve upon his timing mechanism as a hitter, he could easily hit 30-plus home runs for the Rays during his rookie season and beyond. |
