The Rays have juggled their lineup the past few days, moving third baseman Evan Longoria from the cleanup spot to third and then back to fourth in the order Tuesday, in an attempt to jumpstart his bat, and subsequently, their offense.
Longoria is batting .300, but has just one extra-base hit in his first 40 at-bats. As a result of his surprisingly light bat, Longoria has just four RBI. Fantasy owners have to be frustrated about Longoria's slow start because he was drafted to be one of the premier run producers. The best advice we can give to Fantasy owners worried about Longoria's empty average so far this season comes to us courtesy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, emblazoned in big, bold letters: "DON'T PANIC".
Longoria is batting .353 with runners on base through the first 12 games, but has yet to sock an extra-base hit in those situations. For his career, Longoria has been a much better batter with runner's on base, increasing his batting average from .259 with the bases empty to .296. And his extra-base hit woes have never been an issue, as he has one extra-base hit every 7.6 at-bats, compared to once ever 8.0 at-bats overall
Longoria's RBI total has been down over the past two years, after posting back-to-back 100-RBI seasons in 2009-2010. But his per-game production has remained top-notch in that span, leaving little reason for Fantasy owners to think this is a meaningful trend. All-Star talents generally don't turn into slap hitters overnight at the age of 27. Don't be surprised if Longoria posts a few multi-RBI games in the next few days to assuage your fears.