AL Player of the Week

July 1. Evan Longoria was name the American League's Player of the week.

Longoria became the first Rays rookie to take player of the week honors after hitting .433 (13-for-30) with five doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs last week against Florida and Pittsburgh. He is the second Rays player this year to be so honored, joining RHP James Shields (April 28).
There's no question Longoria had a stellar week, including four hits Friday at Pittsburgh and homers on consecutive days against the Marlins, but the Rays' newfound high profile around the game couldn't have hurt his candidacy.

"It's taken us a long time to get any kind of national recognition, and there are still the doubts out there that we can hold up what we're doing," Longoria said. "But to be in the here and now and be in the national spotlight for now is cool."