1) Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Only in his second year, Evan Longoria is quickly making a case for being the best third baseman in all of fantasy baseball. He already has 34 RBI, 21 runs and eight homers on the season.

2) Michael Young, Texas Rangers
Prior to the season, Michael Young didn’t sound too happy about moving over to third base. Now that he’s playing at the hot corner, his bat is also hotter than expected.

3) Brandon Inge, Detroit Tigers
Inge plays all over the field for the Tigers — from third base to the outfield to catcher. Not only has he been useful in the field, he’s been a monster at the plate this year, too.

4) Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals
Earlier in the season, the Nationals gave Zimmerman a hefty contract extension. With his play so far this year, he’s showing why he is the best thing going for Washington.

5) Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
Some scouts thought Lowell could fall off this year but 2009 has started off well for the veteran third baseman. His 26 RBIs at the position only trail Longoria.

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In the video, it is difficult to see what the Red Sox fans did to get tasered. We’ll assume that it was a justified tasering and not just a Tampa Bay Rays officer showing which team he roots for.

On the field, the Rays tasered the Red Sox by a final score of 9-1 to go up two games to one in the best of seven series. The Rays were led by their four players who hit home runs: BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, Rocco Baldelli and Carlos Pena. Matt Garza was very solid on the mound, giving up only one earned run in six innings while striking out five batters.

Here is the Red Sox fans tasered video:

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Longoria finished the game 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs, three RBIs and those two home runs. His homers came in the second and third inning against White Sox pitcher Javier Vazquez.

The pitching star for the Rays, who are in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, was James Shields. In 6.1 innings, Shields gave up three earned runs and four strikeouts.

The Rays will look to take a 2-0 lead in the series in Game 2 on Friday at 6PM EST. Pitching for the Rays will be Scott Kazmir, while Mark Buehrle for the White Sox.

Here is an Evan Longoria video interview following his Game 1 heroics on Thursday:

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NL MVP – Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Sure, the Astros are a bad team and chances are slim that they will make the playoffs. That said, Berkman is having a career year and is the best hitter in the NL to date this season.

AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Mariano Rivera might be having his best season in his career but Lee has been amazing. His 12-2 record is very impressive, as is his 2.31 ERA. Lee was nothing special until this year but now the Cleveland ace is making a name for himself.

NL Cy Young – Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hamilton is playing amazing baseball for the Texas Rangers, however the Reds have to be happy with their offseason move. The Reds got Volquez from the Rangers and he has consistently been the best pitcher in the NL this season.

AL Rookie of the Year – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
One day soon, Evan Longoria might become more famous than Eva Longoria. He’s the clear cut rookie of the year in the AL — and it’s not even close. He has exceeded all the hype he had coming into the season.

NL Rookie of the Year – Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
A lot of players on the Cubs are getting notoriety this season but one can argue that Soto is the most valuable player on Chicago’s roster. He has stepped in as a rookie and is playing great baseball.

Is Geovany Soto the best player on the Cubs?

Photo: Newscom

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Why were his teammates happy? Hart was elected to the 2008 National League All-Star roster by an online vote. Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays was voted to join the 2008 American League roster.

Here is the video of Corey Hart and his daughter getting frightened and doused:

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With less than ten major league baseball games under his belt, the Tampa Bay Rays decided to lockup their third baseman super prospect to a long-term deal. The contract is said to guarantee Longoria approximately $20 million and could be worth as much as $45 million.

How good is Evan Longoria? Here are some outtakes:

One scout, after watching the Devil Rays’ Evan Longoria in the Arizona Fall League, predicts that either Longoria or Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury will be the AL Rookie of the Year in 2008. Another scout says, “He plays the game real easy, and that’s one of the finest compliments I can pay a player.” Longoria, 22, could open in Triple-A, where he has had only 104 at-bats, but might be next season’s Ryan Braun, making a rapid ascent to the majors.

Defensively, Longoria is an above-average third baseman with soft hands and solid body control. His footwork is a plus, both with his lateral movement and with charging the ball on slow rollers. His arm strength is another plus, and his throws have good carry and accuracy.

Longoria has a slightly open stance. He has a deliberate step into his swing which allows him to drive the ball well. He has quick hands that give him plus-plus bat speed. His stroke is quick, compact, and powerful.

Longoria has good pitch recognition. He sees the ball and knows what to do with each pitch. He’ll rarely try to pull an outside pitch. He has good power to all fields. Longoria struggled early in his professional career with pitches inside. He has improved that aspect of his game significantly.

Longoria is one of the top prospects in all of baseball and his negatives are few and far between.

Also, check out this Evan Longoria batting practice video:

Post from: Knuckle Curve