Red-hot Rays look at Wil Myers and wonder, is he another Longoria?
Wil Myers digs in at the plate looking just like Evan Longoria. As the Rays keep winning, it's easy to see similarities.
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4 min read
David Price was still on the disabled list when the Rays called up Wil Myers. He was watching on television when Myers first came to the plate.
Or was that Evan Longoria.
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's the exact same person,'" Price said a few days ago.
He's not the first person to have that thought.
Myers and Longoria are not the same person. They don't even hit the same, even though the way they first set up in the batter's box is so similar it's almost spooky.
But as the Rays have become baseball's hottest team this month -- they're 17-3 in July after Wednesday night's win over the Red Sox -- the 22-year-old rookie outfielder from North Carolina and the 27-year-old third baseman from Southern California have been two of the key figures.
Myers' mid-June call-up came right at the time the Rays began to get hot, and while improved pitching has been the bigger key to the resurgence, it hasn't gone unnoticed that the Rays are 21-9 with Myers in the lineup.
It also hasn't gone unnoticed that just a month into his career, Myers has become the Rays' cleanup hitter.
The last 22-year-old to hold that spot for Rays manager Joe Maddon: A kid named Longoria, who grabbed the job in July 2008.
You might remember that 2008 turned into the most memorable season in Rays history. And it's worth noting that the way the Rays have played this month has some people once again thinking that this team could end the season where that team did.
If it happens, the great starting pitching will get plenty of credit. The big winter trade that brought Myers over from the Royals will no doubt be mentioned.
But there's another factor that's just as significant, perhaps even more significant.
Longoria has played nearly every game.
He missed a month in 2011, and three months last year. The Rays were 20 games over .500 with Longoria in the lineup a year ago, and two games under .500 without him.
They're 3-0 without him so far this year, but the significant point there is that he has missed just three games.
"I feel like it's my obligation to stay healthy," Longoria said.
The Rays talked about it this spring, and they talked about the possibility of getting Longoria more rest in hopes of keeping him on the field through the season. But as the year has gone on, almost every time Maddon has checked, Longoria has adamantly told him he doesn't need a day of rest.
The key, Longoria said, is that he has learned the importance of getting rest when he's not playing.
Longoria has come to understand the importance of taking care of his body, and also realized that doesn't just mean working out.
"I'm trying to eat right," he said. "And when I have the opportunity to catch up on my sleep, I do it."
That means going back home or to the hotel after dinner with family or friends, even when they want to spend more time out. It means perhaps not hanging out with teammates as often as he'd like.
Longoria believes it's all helping.
"I think a lot of it has to do with getting my rest off the field," he said.
Longoria is the acknowledged leader on a Rays team that is, as usual, young. But he's not so far removed from his own rookie year to have trouble remembering it.
He looks at Myers now, and he sees similarities.
"He's a student of the game," Longoria said. "He's always studying opposing pitchers. I do see a lot of myself in how he works."
He gets a kick out of people mentioning the similarity in their stance at the plate, even though he and Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton agree that the two aren't really similar hitters.
"They both start narrow and upright," Shelton said. "But from there it's different. The bat angle is different, and how they use their legs is different.
"They are similar in that both of them generate a ton of torque in their upper body."
Longoria just hit his 150th career home run, and seems headed to his third 30-homer season. Myers, who has five home runs in his first 30 big-league games, hit 37 home runs in the minor leagues last year with the Royals.
Maddon batted him sixth when he was first called up, and cautioned everyone about expectations. But the manager quickly became convinced that the kid didn't need babying.
"The biggest thing was I felt confident that [batting cleanup] would not overwhelm him," Maddon said.
Five years ago, he thought the same about Longoria, and the third baseman proved him right.
Five years later, Maddon calls Longoria "a superstar" and "one of the best players in the game."
He's the best player on one of the best teams in the game, that's for sure.
And when you watch Wil Myers, there sure is a temptation to say, that's the exact same guy.
