Call to the pen
Fansided

Flashback to the 2011 ESPN MLB Franchise Draft to Review Picks

By Bobby Mueller

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 19: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a two-run homerun in the ninth inning during the MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium on May 19, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Rays defeated the Angels 5-3. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 19: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim hits a two-run homerun in the ninth inning during the MLB game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium on May 19, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Rays defeated the Angels 5-3. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 20: Infielder Evan Longoria #3 of the Tampa Bay Rays fouls off a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the game at Tropicana Field on August 20, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /

#2. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays (picked by Keith Law)

Age: 24, MLB: 4th season
As the chat poll showed, the majority felt Tulowitzki was the right choice at number one. With him off the board, it gets a little tougher. Keith Law had the second pick and took young third baseman Evan Longoria, who was a 7 to 8 WAR player from 2009 to 2011. He had already been the AL Rookie of the Year, a two-time Gold Glove winner and a three-time all-star.

Law’s reasoning for taking Longoria here: “Contributes substantially on both sides of the ball and is about to enter his peak years as a hitter.” All of that was true. Longoria had a good bat and a good glove and was 25 years old. His future looked bright.

Dan Szymborski commented, “ Like Tulowitzki, Longoria’s likely to see a large boost to his batting line by the end of the year. With 130 doubles already, Longoria stands a good shot at finishing in the top 20 in career two-baggers.” Note: Evan Longoria is now 32 years old and has 354 career doubles, which is tied for 283rd all-time. He needs 231 doubles to tie Rafael Palmeiro for 20th in career two-baggers.

David Schoenfield, who had the next pick, said he would have taken either Tulowitzki or Longoria if either had fallen to him. He had Tulo and Longo as the clear-cut top two guys, but did mention that the only concern were “little nagging injuries.” Bowden disagreed with this pick, saying he would have taken a number one starter.

ZiPS 5-year projected WAR: 28.7
ZiPs 5-year actual WAR: 19.2 (Baseball-Reference)

What happened: Longoria had a hamstring injury in 2012 that limited him to 74 games. He was worth 2.5 WAR in roughly half a season. He bounced back strong in 2013 (6.2 WAR), but was a 3 to 4 WAR player from 2014 to 2017 instead of the 7 to 8 WAR guy he’d been previously. This year, he’s barely above replacement level. Longoria had the second-best projected 5-year ZiPS and was the 13th-most valuable player over the ensuing five years.

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