Rays' Evan Longoria: Mixed success at plate to date in 2016

Longoria is pleased with his power numbers to date in 2016, but is still looking to boost his overall production, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Analysis:

The veteran third baseman hit solo homers in back-to-back games versus the Blue Jays over the weekend series, tying him for the team lead with Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza with five. While the increased power as compared to 2015 is certainly welcome -- he had only one homer at this same time last season -- Longoria is aiming to hit safely a lot more consistently, particularly with men on base. The eight-year veteran is hitting just .214 over his last 17 games, and has only one hit in his last 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position. However, he has the full confidence of manager Kevin Cash, who's encouraged by his veteran infielder's 55.9 percent swing rate to date this season. "We want all the guys to drive the ball. You're not going to do that by being ultra-selective," Cash said. "To Longo's credit, when you're in that funk a little bit, sometimes you've got to swing your way out of it. I'm not saying he did that or not, but it looks good."