Evan Longoria has drawn comparisons to a lot of players: David Wright, Scott Rolen, Dick Allen (R.J.'s favorite), but after two seasons the player he is most trending toward is Eric Chavez. Before you take a gasp for air or head towards the Skyway bridge, remember that for many years before being perennially injured, Chavez was Evan Longoria.
|
|
Age |
PA |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
XBH |
|
Longoria |
22-23 |
1179 |
0.277 |
0.355 |
0.528 |
137 |
|
Chavez |
22-23 |
1173 |
0.283 |
0.346 |
0.519 |
128 |
After less than 50 plate appearances as a 20 year old, Chavez's average slash line from 1999-2004 (ages 21-26) was .276/.354/.503, and during those years he racked up four gold gloves. UZR only goes back to 2002, and from 2002-2004, his average UZR was 6.5. Not quite Longoria good, but still above average. I stopped at 2004 for a reason. That was the first year Chavez hit the DL. Since then he has played in just 418 of a possible 810 games and racked up 388 days on the DL with a laundry list of ailments.
I have little doubt that Longoria can duplicate the numbers Chavez put up in his mid 20s. However, I hope that he is able to avoid the same injury bug that bit Chavez hard in his late 20s. So far, Longoria has had his fair share of injuries including: a fractured ulna chip (forearm), a mild foot strain, a hamstring strain, and a finger infection. Let's hope (pray) that Longoria's career is met with better luck and a better training staff otherwise we could end up like A's fans asking what could've been.