Evan Longoria, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, made his major league debut in 2008. He had an outstanding first year in the majors, batting .272 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs in 122 games for Tampa Bay. Longoria received the American League Rookie of the Year award for his first year efforts in 2008.
Kelly Johnson, second baseman and outfielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, was first drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2000 and he joined the Braves in 2005. He played in the outfield that first year, replacing injured regulars in the line-up. Johnson ended his first season with the Braves with a batting average of .241 with 9 home runs in 290 at bats.
James Loney, this year's first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays, made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006. He played in 48 games in 2006 and ended the season with a .284 batting average, with 4 home runs, 6 doubles and 3 triples. One of the highlights of the season for Loney came on September 28th when he had 4 hits and tied Gil Hodges for the Dodgers' record for the most RBIs in one game with 9.
Joe Maddon has had a long career in baseball but almost all of that time has been in the minor leagues. He was a catcher for minor league teams and afterwards served in various positions with the LA Angels organization. He served as interim manager of the Angels in 1996 and 1999. The team's win-loss records under Maddon's leadership were 8-14 in 1996 and 19-10 in 1999.