Diamondbacks 2023 Player Review: Evan Longoria

Evan Longoria was signed to be the Diamondbacks' mentor to the young players and to serve as the veteran leader of the team. Plus, he was meant to occasionally play third base, but mostly to DH. However, while he did provide most of that, it was clear that he was ill-suited for an entire regular season and postseason at the age of 37. 

Longoria started the season off slow. In his first 17 games in March/April, mainly as the DH, Longoria hit just .218 with a .685 OPS and two doubles/three home runs. He had four walks while striking out 16 times. There were fears that Longoria was no longer the capable hitter who could strike fast and hard at any time. Luckily for the D-backs, that was not the case.

During May and June, Longoria turned back the clock. Over 25 games, he hit .280/.345/.667/1.012 with five doubles and eight home runs among his 21 hits. He walked eight times to 28 strikeouts. Longoria was providing exactly what the Diamondbacks needed. He was an impact bat at times with great power. This allowed the team to play Longoria often, but not every day in hopes of preserving his ability.

Unfortunately, the D-backs soon had third-base issues that forced Longoria into the lineup more and more. This meant more time in the field and a greater risk of overworking his body. This began to take shape much to the D-backs dismay in July. Over that month he entered into a long slump at the plate. He hit just .167 with a .498 OPS. He had no home runs and only five hits total over 13 games and 34 plate appearances.

Then, on July 28th, Longoria strained his back  while taking infield practice and was put on the injured list. While this was good to give him rest, he might've rushed back. He returned just over three weeks later in late August. His batting average over six games in which he played nearly every day was .200 and each of his three hits were singles.

He ended the season playing nearly every day whether it was pinch-hitting or starting at third base/DH. However, one could tell that he just was not the same Longoria from earlier in the season. He was late on pitches and not making the same kind of contact. This was evidenced by the fact that he had just a .452 OPS during September. That was the result of just six singles in 42 plate appearances. His eye hadn't betrayed him though as he walked six times to 10 strikeouts.

In the postseason, Longoria played differently, faster. His defense was improved. He single-handedly kept the Diamondbacks from losing Game One of the NL Wild Card Series against the Brewers thanks to his defense. He had his Gold Glove-caliber defense again at third base. However, his bat still struggled, hitting just .167 and an OPS of .456 over the 16-game playoff run.

Coincidentally, Longo had some interesting splits that helped to explain his season. At Chase Field, Longoria hit .241 with a .776 OPS. At any other ballpark, Longo hit just .204 with a .656 OPS. Longoria did his job against left-handed pitching. When having the platoon advantage, Longoria hit .231/.302/.433/.734 five home runs and 16 of his 28 RBI. Longoria is the type of player that has to start games and is ill-suited to pinch-hitting. In starts, he had a .228 average and .730 OPS. In games in which he subbed, he hit just .143 with an OPS of .536. There was a path that the Diamondbacks could've taken to maximize Longoria's bat.

2024 Status and Outlook:

Longoria is now a free agent. Entering his age-38 season, it remains to be seen if he will retire or continue his career. If he continues his career, it was reported last year that he wanted to only play for the Giants, D-backs, or Rays. Those are the three teams that he has played for in his career. It seems that he wants to stay close to home to spend more time with his kids and family. If that's the case, it isn't yet clear if Arizona would have an interest in re-signing him to another cheap contract. That wouldn't be clear until later in the off-season. Still, if he hangs up his cleats, Longoria has accomplished plenty in the MLB and it was an honor to see his career end in Arizona. Only time will tell if Longoria is willing to play for another team or wants to continue his career.