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Ben Zobrist News & Rumors

Rays' Ben Zobrist likely to miss at least one more game with minor neck injury
September 4
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Ben Zobrist wasn't in the lineup Saturday and could be out again today due to a nagging neck injury, but it isn't considered serious. Zobrist said his neck stiffened up the past few days, likely due to overswinging, leading to him getting pinch-hit for in the ninth inning of Friday's 3-2 loss to Baltimore. He felt he needed just one day off and was available as a pinch-hitter, but manager Joe Maddon said they might hold him out today, too. "I'm fine," Zobrist said. "I just kind of needed a day off anyway, I think.""
Zobrist makes young fan's day
September 4
Tampa Tribune
 
"Parker Lentini has been a Ben Zobrist fan from the moment Zobrist joined the Rays in 2006, so when the Make-A-Wish Foundation worked it out for Lentini to spend a day with a Ray, the 12-year-old from Carrollwood naturally picked Zobrist. "Everybody thought he was just going to go down to the minors when they kept dropping him, but I always felt he'd be good," Lentini said before Saturday's game. "And now when they say all the good players like (Evan) Longoria and (B.J.) Upton they always mention Zobrist, and I say, 'Ha, ha. I followed him since the beginning.' " Zobrist, naturally, was touched."
Rays notes: Zobrist providing double trouble
August 18
Tampa Tribune
 
"Ben Zobrist doubled in each of his final two at-bats during the Tampa Bay Rays' 4-0 win over Boston on Wednesday to raise his total of two-base hits this season to a major league-leading 40. His previous career-best was 28, which he did in both 2009 and 2010. "I really don't have any explanation for that," Zobrist said. "If I smell it I'm going for it right now. I got jammed on a pitch and I kept it fair on that last one (Wednesday). I feel like I've had a lot of those this year where I just got enough of it where it's just down the line. I've hit some hard too, but I've had a lot of those other ones, too, and I think that's where that higher number comes from." Manager Joe Maddon had an"
Numbers make case for Ben Zobrist as Tampa Bay Rays' MVP
August 14
St. Petersburg Times
 
"As of right now, who do you think has been the Rays' MVP? My guess is, the vast majority of Rays fans would answer James Shields or Casey Kotchman. Both are having exceptional, career years; Shields has posted a 2.80 ERA and thrown eight complete games, and Kotchman is making a run at the batting title (.335 after Saturday's game). Without a doubt, Shields and Kotchman deserve to have their names mentioned in any discussion about the Rays' most valuable player. But I'd like to draw your attention to another player who deserves to have his name tossed in the hat: the perpetually underrated Ben Zobrist. After having a down 2010 season as a result of a lingering back injury, Zobrist has"
Zobrist rediscovering his comfort zone
August 2
Tampa Tribune
 
"The doubles and home runs, the run-scoring hits in big moments. Do they look familiar? They should. Tampa Bay Rays second baseman/right fielder Ben Zobrist looks an awful lot like the super utility Ben Zobrist who enjoyed a breakout season in 2009 and earned a spot in that summer's All-Star game. "I think he's gotten back to that form," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. Zobrist was a hit-machine on the recent 10-game road trip, batting .429 with six doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs and four walks. He had the Rays' lone hit and drove in both runs during Saturday's 3-2 to the Mariners. He had three hits and three RBIs in Sunday's 8-1 win against the Mariners. It was his fifth three-RBI game"
Zobrist leads Rays to 11-inning win
June 12
Tampa Tribune
 
"They could have wilted in the steamy night air. They could have given into the demands of this long road trip and the fatigue that has set in by now after crossing the country twice. They could have packed it in after the Orioles rallied for the lead once against David Price, then took the lead again on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth. Instead, the Tampa Bay Rays kept playing, and because they kept playing, they played another extra-inning ballgame before finally dealing Baltimore a 7-5 loss in 11 innings. "The story," Ben Zobrist said, "was the way our team battled back there." And that's coming from a guy who was a story himself, delivering an extra-base hit in each of"
Zobrist earns AL Player of the Week award
May 3
Tampa Tribune
 
"The Rays have put a chokehold on the AL Player of the Week award. UTL Ben Zobrist became the third Tampa Bay player to win it in three weeks Monday, following RHP James Shields and DH Johnny Damon, who shared the honor with Angels RHP Dan Haren. Zobrist hit .440 (11-for-25) with two home runs and a .444 on-base percentage in six games while leading the majors with five doubles and 13 RBIs, tying for most runs scored with eight and total bases with 24, and ranking second in slugging percentage at .960. Of course, he had the epic seven-hit, 10-RBI day in the doubleheader last Thursday at Minnesota. The last time a team won the award three weeks in a row was June 4-24, 2007, when the Tigers"
Zobrist's breakthrough is a great sign for Rays
May 1
Tampa Tribune
 columnist Joe Henderson
"It seems the Rays have a different hero every game, but that's how it is when things are going well. They get hits. They get great pitching. They get a wild pitch from the other team when they need one. That's what happened Saturday afternoon at the Trop. Los Angeles reliever Fernando Rodney threw a two-strike pitch into the dirt and it bounced away as Matt Joyce sprinted home from third with the winning run. Unorthodox, sure, but there hasn't been a lot of normal associated with this team lately. I mean that in a good way. We take you back to Thursday in Minneapolis, near the end of the ZorillaFest. Rays third-base coach Tom Foley approached Ben Zobrist and grinned. Zobrist had been"
Rays considering using Ben Zobrist as leadoff hitter
March 13
St. Petersburg Times
 
"John Jaso might not be at the top of the Rays lineup after all. Ben Zobrist batted leadoff Saturday for a third straight start, and the Rays are giving serious thought to using him there during the season, at least against right-handers. Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has the most walks and the sixth-best on-base percentage (.374) in the AL over the past two seasons, and his average of 4.1 pitches per plate appearance last season was best among the Rays, though he hit only .238. "I guess it makes sense if I get on base a lot," Zobrist said. "As far as comfortability, I would say I'm more comfortable now hitting a little bit lower in the lineup than I am presently batting leadoff. But in the"
Tampa Bay Rays' Ben Zobrist working to get comfortable at first base, just in case
February 20
St. Petersburg Times
 
"First base isn't versatile Ben Zobrist's first choice for a position. But he reported to camp Saturday saying he is willing to make it his first priority this spring to get more comfortable in case he's used there. "I definitely need that experience," Zobrist said. "At the end of the year when I played a little bit more first base, I felt a little bit uncomfortable because I didn't have that." Zobrist, 29, will be plenty busy. The Rays plan to return him to more of a super-utility role, playing all over the field as opposed to primarily second base and rightfield as he did last season. And he hopes to recapture his 2009 team MVP batting form after dropping from .297 with 27 homers, 91 RBIs"
Ben Zobrist day to day with back stiffness
July 29
St. Petersburg Times
 
"The Rays centerfield depth took another hit Wednesday night as Ben Zobrist left the game with lower back stiffness and is day to day. Manager Joe Maddon said though Zobrist won't start today, he doesn't anticipate him being out very long. Zobrist agreed, saying they were just being cautious. "I don't think it's anything serious," Zobrist said. "It's just mild lower back pain, and it was just stuff after my second at-bat." Sean Rodriguez replaced Zobrist in center to begin the fourth. The Rays are already without CF B.J. Upton (sprained left ankle), who is feeling better but might not return until Saturday or Sunday, Maddon said. Upton, who could be available to pinch-hit before that, plans"
Rays without Ben Zobrist for first game at A's
May 8
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Ben Zobrist is still sputtering a bit, failing to produce as a No. 3 hitter typically should with a .266 average, 13 RBIs and nary a home run through 29 games. But manager Joe Maddon insisted it was just the chance for rest when he left Zobrist out of Friday's lineup, not a sign of any pending change. "Just a day," Maddon said. "Just an absolute day." Zobrist, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and singled, said he feels he's improving in adjusting to the steady flow of off-speed pitches he's seeing and trying to cut down on chasing ones out of the strike zone, though his on-base percentage is also down, .336 compared with last year's team-best .405. "It's definitely getting better"
Timing right for Zobrist
May 7
Tampa Tribune
 
"RHP Matt Garza dominated the Mariners, but it was a bunt single by Ben Zobrist that turned Wednesday night's game in the Rays' favor. With Carl Crawford on first base and one out during the top of the eighth inning, and the score tied at 2, Zobrist dropped a bunt up the third-base line that opened the door for a three-run inning and sent the Rays to an 8-3 victory. "With Cliff Lee pitching as well as he was and us not getting a whole lot of guys in scoring position, it was just the right time of the game to do it," Zobrist said. "I just wanted to get C.C. in scoring position. If I get a hit, it kind of puts some pressure on them. (Evan Longoria) came up and got the big hit, and things took"
Rays' Zobrist suffering early power outage
May 4
Tampa Tribune
 
"Even after managing only five runs in the final three games of their Kansas City series, the Rays led the majors in runs and batting average with runners in scoring position entering Monday's play. And they had done so without Ben Zobrist hitting a home run. An encouraging thought for the Rays - as they begin a nine-game trip tonight at Seattle - is they've been hitting and scoring at a good clip, and yet Zobrist, the 2009 team MVP, hasn't found his power stroke yet. Coming off a season in which he hit .297 with 27 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .948 OPS (on-base and slugging percentage) that ranked third in the American League, "Zorilla" is hitting .252 with the same number of RBIs (10) as"
Ben Zobrist has little to lose in new long-term contract with Tampa Bay Rays
April 25
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Everybody was smiling, as they should have been, at Friday's announcement of Ben Zobrist's long-term deal, which could keep him with the Rays through 2015 and make him close to $30 million. For the Rays, there's cost certainty ($14.5 million to be exact) over the next three seasons, when Zobrist's salary would have been subject to the fluid arbitration process, and options to keep him through his first two years of free agency (for $7 million and $7.5 million) when they otherwise might not be able to afford him. For Zobrist, there's life-changing financial security - nearly $18 million guaranteed, no matter where (2B? RF? 1B? LF?), how, or how much he plays - for a guy who before last"
Ben Zobrist basks in long-sought security after signing extension with Tampa Bay Rays
April 24
St. Petersburg Times
 
"To both Ben Zobrist and the Rays, agreeing on a five-year contract extension was a "no-brainer." Tampa Bay got to lock up one of its most valuable (and versatile) young players potentially through 2015. And Zobrist, 28, who spent several years trying to stick in the big leagues, parlayed his 2009 breakout, All-Star season into long-term security for his family, a deal, officially announced Friday, that could bring him close to $30 million. "I'm just extremely grateful," he said. "I got my first shot in the big leagues with the Rays, and the Rays gave that to me. I think back to that time, how far we've come." Zobrist is guaranteed nearly $18 million in the deal, which kicks in next"
Rays, Ben Zobrist agree to long-term contract extension
April 23
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Ben Zobrist's breakout season in 2009 earned him an AL All-Star squad selection and the Rays' MVP award. It also got the utility player a long-term deal. The Rays will announce today a contract extension that could keep Zobrist, 28, in Rays blue through the 2015 season. The first three years, in which Zobrist would have been eligible for arbitration, are guaranteed. The Rays hold options for 2014 and 2015, the first two seasons he would be eligible for free agency. Terms were not available Thursday night, neither were Zobrist nor team officials available to comment."
Rays' Zobrist to get long-term deal
April 23
Tampa Tribune
 
"The Tampa Bay Rays will announce this afternoon a five-year contract extension for 2B/RF Ben Zobrist, with the first three years guaranteed and club options for 2014 and 2015. Terms will be disclosed at a news conference at Tropicana Field. Like the long-term contracts the Rays gave 3B Evan Longoria, RHP James Shields, LF Carl Crawford, former LHP Scott Kazmir and former CF Rocco Baldelli, Zobrist is trading in his arbitration years and possibly his first two years of free agency for the security of a multiyear deal. Zobrist, who will make $438,100 this season, had a breakout year in 2009, when he made his first All-Star team and was voted the team MVP by the Tampa Bay chapter of the"
Ben Zobrist maintains low-key personality after breakout season
February 24
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Playing seven positions and slugging 27 homers en route to an All-Star Game appearance and team MVP award turned out be nothing compared to the multi-tasking, flexibility and hard work Ben Zobrist needed to get through his offseason. "No doubt about it," he said. Much more taxing was spending the winter changing diapers, reading bedtime stories and providing a major hand to wife Julianna in caring for their just-turned 1-year-old son, Zion. "If you've not been having to do whole lot of work with a baby, and then you go home and you have to do a lot of work with the baby, all of a sudden you're like, 'Whoa, this is a lot of work,' " Zobrist said. "It made me appreciate my wife that much"
Success won't change Rays' humble Ben Zobrist
February 24
Tampa Tribune
 
"If you made up Ben Zobrist, no one would believe you. Gentle Ben arrived in Rays training camp Tuesday. There were hugs for and from teammates, a regular comfort zone. There's arrived and there's arrived. Zobrist was quickly asked what it was like to hit 2010 as a major-league baseball star. "Oh, man, c'mon," he said. Still, right now life is one big ice cream social for the Rays' do-everything, play-anywhere overnight sensation, even though it didn't happen overnight. If you think success will change Huck Ben, try again. He didn't do Vegas this offseason or jet to Rio like teammate Evan Longoria. Nor did Zobrist demand a pew up front at his Nashville church. "We're there, but we don't"
Rays' versatile Zobrist ready to help again
February 23
Tampa Tribune
 
"The Rays' second baseman, right fielder, backup shortstop, emergency first baseman and occasional designated hitter all reported to spring training today. And he took up one locker stall. That, of course, would be super-utility man and 2009 All-Star Ben Zobrist, who arrived a day before full-squad workouts begin Wednesday. Carlos Pena and Sean Rodriguez were still outstanding as of 11 a.m. Tuesday. Zobrist showed up with four gloves and his trademark willingness to play wherever the Rays need him. He made it clear that while he enjoys playing second base, he won't push for a permanent job there or anywhere else. The main things, he said, are that he gets at-bats and has an opportunity to"
Ben Zobrist wins Tampa Bay Rays' team MVP
October 4
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Add this to the list of things Ben Zobrist didn't expect to be doing this season: receiving the team MVP award. Zobrist - whose breakout season includes 27 home runs, 91 RBIs, a .296 average and starts at eight positions - was voted most valuable player by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Carl Crawford was second and Evan Longoria third. "It's a huge honor,'' Zobrist said. "Any one of four or five guys could have gotten it.''"
Tampa Bay Rays' Ben Zobrist settling in nicely at second base
August 7
St. Petersburg Times
 
"Ben Zobrist remembered the time during 2008 spring training when he first began to juggle different gloves, grooming himself to be an invaluable utility player. But now that Zobrist has had the opportunity to start consistently at second base (55 games), he has developed more comfort and confidence defensively, which combined with his offensive abilities has manager Joe Maddon saying the switch-hitter could become a valuable regular there. "I'm definitely more comfortable than I was when I first got there," Zobrist said. "It almost feels like second nature. It's more instinctual doing some stuff out there than it was at first. At first, I really had to concentrate like, 'What am I going to"