Wanted to share this nugget from Don Zimmer, who as we know has been around the bases a few times. During a chat with me before Monday’s game against the Red Sox, he had this to say about Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria:

“He’s in a class of his own as a rookie. I’ve seen a lot of rookies come to the big leagues. I have never seen a rookie come to the big leagues, in 60 years, as a rookie, defensively, as good as he is.”

Think about all the third baseman Zim has seen in his years in the game. To put Longoria at the head of that line is the highest compiment he can pay. He told the story of a conversation he had last week at a banquet for Yogi Berra’s golf tourament. Zim was sitting at a table with Yogi, former Yankees star third baseman Graig Nettles, former Cards manager Whitey Herzog, and Rudy Guilliani.

“I said, Graig, whenever third basemen come up, you hear Nettles, Brooks Robinson, Clete Boyer - not for hitting, but best third basemen. I told them, ‘We’ve got a guy in Tampa who doesn’t have to take a back seat to none of you.’ That’s exactly the way I put it. How can you play better. He’ll go through growing pains as a hitter - who doesn’t? But he has done pretty doggone good.

“When he came here, I made a statement to one of our guys that, ‘You know, if you’re looking for too much, you get disappointed.’ I was hoping he’d hit .260 and keep his head above water until next year. Well, here he is, hitting .270. Big hits. Fifteen home runs. Twenty doubles. And how can you play third base better this kid? I don’t care - bring in all the good ones we talked about. I’ve never seen anybody play third base better than this kid.”