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Rays place Aybar on DL, recall top prospect Longoria

The Tampa Bay Rays placed infielder Willy Aybar on the 15-day disabled list with a sore hamstring. To replace the switch-hitting Aybar at the hot corner, the Rays recalled third baseman Evan Longoria, rated as the second-best prospect in the game by Baseball America.

Longoria, 22, was selected out of Long Beach State by Tampa Bay with the third overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft. Longoria tore through the minors in 2007, passing tests at Double-A Montgomery (.307/.403/.528) and Triple-A Durham (.269/.398/.490) with flying colors.

TG Analysis

There has been much consternation regarding Tampa Bay’s decision to send Longoria to Triple-A to begin the season, but a more objective look at the situation makes the move look prudent. By delaying Longoria’s debut by just a slight margin, the Rays prevent the power-hitting third baseman from becoming a free agent until after his seventh season, essentially giving the team another year of what should be Longoria’s peak seasons.

While this might be seen as a short-term promotion, there’s a pretty good possibility that Longoria never sees another bus ride through the International League. The 6-2, 190 pounder was off to a slow start for Durham (.200/.333/.200 in 31 PA), but Longoria’s combination of pop (26 HR combined in 2007), plate discipline (he actually improved his BB% from 12.4% at AA to 17.2% at AAA) and solid defensive work gives him David Wright-type upside. Enjoy, Rays fans.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 11:34 am and is filed under Rays, Evan Longoria. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.