Rays' Evan Longoria Breaks Franchise Record for Career Doubles, Ties RBI Mark

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit his 216th career double in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins. According to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune, that allowed him to pass current Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford for the most two-baggers in franchise history.

Already the Rays' all-time leader in home runs (173), Longoria also matched Crawford atop the franchise RBI leaderboard, knocking in the 592nd run of his career.

Having spent all seven of his MLB seasons in Tampa Bay, Longoria has a strong case for the title of greatest player in franchise history.

Crawford's prime largely coincided with the miserable early years of the Rays' existence, whereas Longoria's rookie season in 2008 marked the beginning of a new era.

Led by the star rookie third baseman, who produced 27 home runs and 85 RBI in just 122 games, the Rays made their first playoff appearance that season. Despite missing a good portion of the year, Longoria took home American League Rookie of the Year honors and even finished 11th in AL MVP voting.

Though he peaked early and has suffered more than his fair share of injuries, Longoria has made his mark in Tampa Bay by putting up solid offensive numbers every season while consistently playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.

Baseball-Reference.com indicates he posted an OPS above .840 in each of his first six seasons and took home the Gold Glove in both 2009 and 2010.

Oddly enough, Longoria is currently having the worst season of his career at the age of 28. He owns a middling .729 OPS and is on pace for just 18 home runs and 78 RBI.