| Ben Zobrist | |
|---|---|
 Zobrist with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 | |
| Second baseman /Outfielder | |
| Born: (1981-05-26)May 26, 1981 (age 44) Eureka, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 1, 2006, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2019, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .266 |
| Home runs | 167 |
| Runs batted in | 768 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (/ˈzoʊbrɪst/; born May 26, 1981) is an American former professionalbaseballsecond baseman andoutfielder. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theTampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays,Oakland Athletics,Kansas City Royals, andChicago Cubs. Zobrist played in three World Series and won the last two, becoming a two-timeWorld Series champion in consecutive seasons of 2015 with the Royals and 2016 with the Cubs. He was theWorld Series MVP in 2016. Internationally, Zobristrepresented the United States.
A versatile defender and aswitch-hitter with a highwalk rate,[1] he played roughly half hisinnings atsecond base, and spent significant time atshortstop and variousoutfield positions.[2] Thus, he has often been referred to as a "superutility player," with subsequent players who also filled this role often being compared to Zobrist.[3][4]
Benjamin Thomas Zobrist was born on May 26, 1981, and raised inEureka, Illinois, by his parents Cynthia "Cindi" (née Cali) and Tom Zobrist, senior pastor of Liberty Bible Church in Eureka.[5] He grew up aSt. Louis Cardinals fan.[6]
Zobrist played baseball starting when he was eight years old; he and his friends built their ownwiffle ball field behind his house. Zobrist attendedEureka High School, graduating in 2000. After no professionalscouts or college recruiters considered him by the time he graduated, Zobrist thought baseball was over for him. "Baseball was not even a thought in my mind", Zobrist said, "When I was done with my last high school game, I was driving around town just thinking I'm done with baseball the rest of my life." Zobrist planned to attendCalvary Bible College inKansas City, Missouri, but his high school coach encouraged him to spend $50 to participate in an annual summer event that showcased seniors inPeoria, Illinois.[7] He played in the showcase, and was given an offer to playcollege baseball atOlivet Nazarene University, which he accepted.
In his time at Olivet, he pitched and also played at shortstop and second base. In 2002 he was named to both the all-CCAC and all-Region VII First Teams, and receivedNAIA Honorable Mention All-America status.[8] He was named theChicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, first team All-Region VII, and first team NAIA All-America in 2003.[9] He transferred toDallas Baptist University for his senior year, where he played shortstop and batted .378 with a .590 slugging percentage.[10][11]
Zobrist played for theTwin City Stars of theCentral Illinois Collegiate League (NowProspect League) in 2002 and then inWausau, Wisconsin, for theWisconsin Woodchucks of the Summer CollegiateNorthwoods League in 2003. He was voted team MVP and led his team to the League Championship.[12]
Zobrist was drafted by theHouston Astros as ashortstop in the sixth round of the2004 MLB draft. With right-handed pitcherMitch Talbot, Zobrist was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays forfirst baseman/designated hitterAubrey Huff and cash on July 12, 2006.[13]
Zobrist made his MLB debut with Tampa Bay on August 1, 2006.[14] He exclusively played shortstop in his first two seasons with Tampa Bay.[15]
Zobrist struggled through parts of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Rays. One day, he met a "swing mechanic" (batting coach) looking for students. The swing coach was able to help Zobrist, and it was evident to the Rays during the 2008 season. "He added the power component", Rays executive vice presidentAndrew Friedman said, "He became a lot more physical."[10]
Zobrist was aright fielder and a back-up shortstop during the 2008 season.[16] Zobrist went to his firstWorld Series as a player with the Rays in 2008. His versatility was showcased during Game 3 of the2008 World Series against theNational League championPhiladelphia Phillies when he came in as part of adouble switch to playright field.[17]
Zobrist was placed in right field for the beginning of the 2009 season, and was made the starting second baseman after teammateAkinori Iwamura was injured. Zobrist enjoyed a breakout season, finishing fourth in the American League inon-base percentage (.405), sixth inwalks (91), and seventh inslugging percentage (.543). He earned a trip to his firstAll-Star Game in St. Louis in 2009.[18] The Tampa Bay Chapter of theBaseball Writers' Association of America named him MVP of the Rays for 2009.[19]
Zobrist led all hitters in the majors in 2009 for wins above replacement with 8.6, ahead ofAlbert Pujols' 8.4 WAR.[20]
On April 23, 2010, Zobrist and the Rays agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2013 season, with a team option for 2014 and 2015, a deal potentially worth $30 million.[21] In 2010, Zobrist batted .238, with a .353 slugging percentage.[15]
On April 28, 2011, Zobrist collected aTampa Bay Rays record eight RBIs in a 15–3 rout of theMinnesota Twins.[22] Another game was held during the day to make up for a previously rained out game and Zobrist drove in another two runs, making a total 10 RBIs for the day.
Zobrist led the American League in WAR with 8.8, ahead of MVPJustin Verlander and MVP runner upJacoby Ellsbury.[23]
During the 2012 season, Zobrist's skills were used at multiple positions. He played 47 games atshortstop, the most since his rookie season. He was also used as anoutfielder andsecond baseman.[24]
Zobrist finished the year with 20home runs, accomplishing the feat for the second time in a row.[15]
On April 8, 2013, Zobrist became the strikeout victim on a disputed call that led toJoe Nathan's 300th career save. Zobrist was named an All Star for the second time of his career.[25] He finished the 2013 season with a .275 batting average, his highest since 2009.[15]
On September 10, Zobrist recorded his 1,000th career hit, which came against theNew York Yankees inYankee Stadium.[26]
On January 10, 2015, Zobrist was traded to theOakland Athletics with teammateYunel Escobar in exchange forJohn Jaso,Daniel Robertson, andBoog Powell.[27]On Opening Day with the Athletics, Zobrist hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat. On April 25, 2015, it was revealed that Zobrist had a torn medial meniscus in his left knee, putting him on the 15-day disabled list.[28] The knee required surgery, keeping Zobrist out of action for 4–6 weeks.[29]
On July 28, 2015, Zobrist was traded to theKansas City Royals forSean Manaea andAaron Brooks.[30] He played 59 games in the regular season for Kansas City and finished with a batting average of .284, with 7 home runs, 37 runs scored, and 23 RBIs.[15]
The Royals won the AL Central Division and played theHouston Astros for the ALDS with Zobrist starting all five games. The Royals advanced to theWorld Series after defeating theToronto Blue Jays in six games to win the American League pennant. The Royals won the2015 World Series after defeating theNew York Mets in four of the five games played.[31] Zobrist played second base and batted second in every game of the 2015 Royals postseason. He hit .303 in the 2015 postseason with 66 at bats, 15 runs scored, 20 hits, 2 home runs, and 6 RBIs.[32]
On December 8, 2015, Zobrist agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract with theChicago Cubs. He reunited withJoe Maddon, his manager when he was a member of theTampa Bay Rays.[33] In 2016, he batted .272/.386/.446 and led the major leagues with 1.17 walks per strikeout.[34]
In Game 4 of theNational League Division Series against theSan Francisco Giants with the Cubs having a 2–1 series lead, Zobrist drove inKris Bryant to score the first run in the top of the ninth and later scored the tying run on a two-run single byWillson Contreras. The Cubs scored another run later that inning, sending them to theNational League Championship Series.[35] Following the Cubs' Game 7 victory in theWorld Series, after driving in the first of two go-ahead runs in the top of the 10th inning, he was named theWorld Series Most Valuable Player and received his second World Series ring.[36] He became the eighth player in major league history to win consecutive World Series championships on different teams.[37]
In 2017, Zobrist played in 159 games, batting .232/.318/.375. Playing five different positions, he committed only three errors and had afielding percentage of .991. He was a finalist for theGold Glove Award at second base, along withDee Gordon and winnerDJ LeMahieu.[38]
In 2018, he had a career-high batting average of .305. He was ejected for the first time in his career on August 14, 2018, by home plate umpirePhil Cuzzi.[39]
In 2019, Zobrist started the season playing in 26 games before being placed on the restricted list on May 6 to deal with a family matter. Both Zobrist and his wife filed for legal separation in May.[40] Zobrist announced his return in late July 2019, and began rehab assignments with theSouth Bend Cubs andMyrtle Beach Pelicans. He returned to the Cubs in early September.[41][42] Zobrist had his first major league pitching appearance in September 2019, striking outYadier Molina.[43] In 2019 he batted .260/.358/.313 with one home run in 150 at bats.[44]
In February 2020,Jon Heyman reported that Zobrist was not planning to play in the 2020 season.[45] Zobrist confirmed his retirement on March 6, and said he was open to joining the Cubs in a non-player capacity "down the line".[46]
Zobrist was an above-average hitter with a careerslash line of .266/.357/.426 and a wRC+ of 116. He accomplished this with a patient, contact-based approach; his swing rate was one of the lowest in the league, leading to awalk rate of 12.5% and a contact rate of 85.3%. He was also an above-averagebaserunner, who had 116stolen bases at asuccess rate of 70%.[1][47]
Zobrist was noted for his defensive versatility.[3][4] He played over 4,200 defensive innings atsecond base, over 2,200 inright field, over 1,700 atshortstop, and over 500 innings at otheroutfield positions. Zobrist was rated byultimate zone rating as a significantly above-average defender atsecond and inright, and a marginally below-average defender at shortstop.[2]
His nickname, "Zorilla," was given to him by hismanagerJoe Maddon while playing for the Rays in 2009.[13][48] Zobrist chose "Zorilla" as his nickname for the Players Weekend during the 2017 season.[49]
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Zobrist lives inFranklin, Tennessee.[50] He and his former wife, singerJulianna Zobrist (née Gilmore), have three children, one of whom was born five days after Zobrist's Royals won the 2015 World Series.[51] Julianna gave birth to Blaise Royal the day after the Royals World Series parade.[52][53] In May 2019, Zobrist filed for legal separation in Tennessee on the same day that Julianna Zobrist filed for divorce in Illinois.[40] Their marital problems had led Zobrist to pause his participation in the 2019 MLB season.[54]
In June 2021, Zobrist filed a lawsuit in Tennessee against his formerpastor, Byron Yawn, in which he accused Yawn of defrauding Zobrist's charity, Patriot Forward, of millions of dollars. The lawsuit also alleged that Yawn had had a year-long sexualaffair with Julianna Zobrist beginning in the spring of 2019.[54] In a deposition for the divorce, Julianna Zobrist admitted to having had an affair with Yawn. In August 2021, Zobrist dropped his lawsuit against Yawn.[55]
Zobrist was counselor for Camp of Champions USA, a Christian summer day camp in central Illinois. He speaks at church events about his early life and success, which he credits all to God.[56]
In the 2013 filmRing The Bell, released byProvident Films, Zobrist plays himself in a cameo role alongsideRick Sutcliffe,John Kruk,Mark Hall (also playing themselves), Ryan Scharoun, Ashley Anderson McCarthy, andCasey Bond.[57]
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| National | |
