Long Beach State alum Evan Longoria added a prestigious piece of hardware to the trophy case yesterday, when the MLB announced he’d won the Gold Glove.  Longoria, known more for his hitting than his defensive play, clearly demonstrated this year that he’s one of the league’s best infielders.

“It’s the one award that I’ve wanted to win since I started pro ball,” Longoria told MLB.com. “I take a lot of pride in my defense, so this award is very special to me. It’s humbling to have your name associated with some of the great players who have won a Gold Glove, especially the third basemen.”

This year’s stats certainly bear out the award: Longo had the second-best fielding percentage among AL third basemen with a .970 percentage, and his 43 double plays led all Major League third basemen.

He’s the youngest to win an AL Gold Glove at any position since Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez in 2001. Since the Gold Glove was first awarded in 1957, only three third basemen have won it at a younger age: Brooks Robinson (age 23 in 1960) of the Orioles, Scott Rolen (age 23 in 1998) of the Phillies and Chavez.

Since 1990, only seven players have won a Gold Glove at a younger age than Longoria: Ken Griffey Jr., Ivan Rodriguez, Andruw Jones, Roberto Alomar, Rolen, Chavez and Jeff Francoeur.

From reports by MLB.com’s Bill Chastain