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Though 3B Evan Longoria has accomplished a lot in his young career — from being chosen AL rookie of the year to playing in two All-Star Games and the World Series — the fact that he has continued to improve may be most impressive.
He has followed his dazzling debut season with an even better one, and though the Rays will not play in the postseason, he's saving his best for last, including hitting .362 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in his past 25 games.
"He might be playing his best baseball, from my perspective," manager Joe Maddon said. "Of course, I'm saying everything — defense, baserunning, hitting, not expanding his strike zone, hitting for power, driving in runs. Everything he's doing right now is good."
Longoria, 23, said he believes his approach has been solid but is "a little disappointed in myself that I couldn't help the team do more and get further."
Longoria's goals in spring training were to reach 30 homers and 100 RBIs, and he's at 31 and 108. He had an admittedly "unconscious" start, hitting .369 with six homers and 24 RBIs in April. "The whole month, it was pretty unbelievable, even for me," he said.
Though he tailed off with a .233 June and .189 July, he said the key to bouncing back was making daily adjustments, as opposing pitchers tried to do the same.
"I love the way he's coming back. It just tells me he's learning, and he's adjusting and paying attention," Maddon said. "And really, conversationally and being around him, you can just see this guy growing right now. He likes being 'the guy' and doesn't run away from it, the responsibilities. And I've seen him mature a lot this year, in all the most positive ways."
Longoria may be one of just six players in history to reach the 40 doubles, 30 homers and 100 RBI totals before 24 (joining the likes of Ted Williams, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez), but Maddon thinks he's only going to get better. He pointed out that Longoria, who has improved his baserunning, is capable of a 15- or 20-steal season, too. And he sees him growing into a potential leader.
"As he became one of the better players, there's a responsibility attached to that," Maddon said. "And some people will say, even if there is, I don't want it. But he says, 'It's there, and I do like it and I do want it, and I want to be relied upon.' "
The workhorse: RHP James Shields' record — 10-11, 4.09 ERA — hasn't necessarily reflected how well he has pitched, but he has hit a goal he takes a lot of pride in: the 200-inning barrier for the third straight season. In doing so, Shields becomes one of just four AL pitchers to complete the feat (2007-09), joining Justin Verlander, Roy Halladay and Mark Buehrle. Maddon said Shields' work ethic in the offseason is one reason why he has done it, along with his mental approach.
"He wants to be that guy," Maddon said. ''Some guys don't understand the importance of being a guy who sucks up 200 innings a year and what that means to staff and a team. It's incredibly big — it speaks to the bullpen usage and how fresh they can be at the end of the year. He does all that for them."
Feeling the heat: During the last trip to Texas in July, the Rays were swept, scoring just seven runs in three games. And that was when both teams were in contention. But Maddon said he expects a better series this weekend, whether playoffs are on the line or not.
"Last time there, we did not play well," he said. "They were playing well; we were not playing well. They're still going to want to win it. I think we're going to be fine. … We've been playing some pretty good baseball. So I don't anticipate us just going out there and shutting her down. I'm looking forward to it."
Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com.
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