Evan Longoria

The 2013 MLB season is now in full swing, and the Rays haven't had very good start to their year. Tampa Bay stands at 3-4 after the first week of baseball, dropping a couple of tough games but showing some bright signs as well.

It's just the beginning of what should be an exciting year for this talented Rays team.

Here are five things I've taken away from the first seven games of the season.

Every year, there's at least one surprise when it's time to dole out the hardware. Last year, R.A. Dickey was the first knuckleballer to ever win the Cy Young, but he's not alone when it comes to the seemingly out-of-nowhere greatness that we see on podiums every fall.

The population of third basemen in Major League Baseball is talented and getting increasingly young, and with the promotion of Manny Machado and impending ascension of top prospects Anthony Rendon, Nick Castellanos and Mike Olt (if he stays at 3B), the position is getting deeper and becoming even younger.. 

With several surprises and disappointments, the 2012 MLB season has been a compelling one to watch thus far. 

However, something that has made the game less fun to follow is the number of superstar players that have suffered significant injuries. Yes, sometimes new players can emerge when established veterans go on the disabled list. Look at Bryce Harper with the Nationals or Freddy Galvis for the Phillies. (Unfortunately, Galvis has joined the ranks of the injured.) 

Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are the future of the Washington Nationals. 

Strasburg will be the ace of a formidable starting rotation for years to come, and Bryce Harper will anchor the outfield and the lineup with his five-tool talent. The future is in good hands. 

Here are seven reasons why the Washington Nationals need to quickly sign both players to long-term contracts to ensure the successful future of the franchise.

Around lunchtime on Tuesday, a report surfaced that Tampa Bay third baseman Longoria would miss six to eight weeks with a partial hamstring tear, a seemingly crippling blow to the Rays' chances of making the American League playoffs this year.

With Evan Longoria expected to miss anywhere from six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury, the Tampa Bay Rays are left without their most consistent offensive performer.

Longoria's April put him in the running as an early AL MVP candidate, but any chances of that happening now seem slim to none.

Do you think the Sizemore family doesn't matter?

Just ask the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics, who already have lost one of their own in training camp and been left to scramble for replacements.

This spring, were you one of the many who drafted a top flight pitcher like Adam Wainwright or Zack Greinke, only to have him hit the DL before the season even began? Like always, there are a bunch of high quality players who are out of commission at the moment, and because injuries always happen, most fantasy baseball owners at this point should be looking for injury updates and upgrades. Do you have an injured star on your roster? Want to find out the scoop on him?

Injuries are a part of any game, and we know that some injuries mean more to a team than others.  A star first baseman means a lot more to a team than a bench player who might get 20 at bats as a pinch hitter per year if he’s lucky.

An injury means more to a team if a player is a big part of their pitching or hitting games too.  If a team is like the 2010 San Diego Padres and does not have a very good offense, they would be more at risk if their start hitter, Adrian Gonzalez (now with the Boston Red Sox) was injured.