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| 14th July, 2008 - 4:56 pm | Andrew Perna/RealGM - Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria is grateful to have made the jump from minor league baseball to the Major League All-Star Game so quickly.
"It’s definitely something that I wouldn’t have thought would be possible," Longoria said of making the American League's roster. "When I went to Hudson Valley, my first stop in pro ball, I just wanted to get out of there and worry about getting to the next level. I think that’s what every player does."
He is hitting .275 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs in 306 at-bats for the Rays through the season's midpoint.
It has also taken Longoria some time to get used to the media attention that his fast start in Tampa has brought upon him.
"You have to realize what you need to do, because sometimes I feel like it hinders me from getting the work in that I need and focusing on the game," he admitted. "You know, if I don’t preform in this game I won’t be talking to the media anyway, so I gotta get that out of the way first."
As all of this year's All-Stars have expressed, playing in the final All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium is something truly special.
"It’s very special," Longoria added. "I was actually in awe just to come play here in a normal game, but now to be here for the All-Star Game is very surreal for me." [READ] |
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