Ben Zobrist was born and raised in Eureka, Illinois, by his parents Cynthia "Cindi" and Tom Ben Zobrist, senior pastor of Liberty Bible Church in Eureka.
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38 Facts About Ben Zobrist
2.
Ben Zobrist played baseball starting when he was eight years old; he and his friends built their own wiffle ball field behind his house.
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3.
Ben Zobrist played in the showcase, and was given an offer to play college baseball at Olivet Nazarene University, which he accepted.
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4.
Ben Zobrist was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, first team All-Region VII, and first team NAIA All-America in 2003.
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7.
Ben Zobrist was voted team MVP and led his team to the League Championship.
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8.
Ben Zobrist was drafted by the Houston Astros as a shortstop in the sixth round of the 2004 MLB draft.
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9.
Ben Zobrist exclusively played shortstop in his first two seasons with Tampa Bay.
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10.
Ben Zobrist struggled through parts of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Rays.
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11.
Ben Zobrist was for the most part used as a right fielder and a back-up shortstop during the 2008 season.
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12.
Ben Zobrist went to his first World Series as a player with the Rays in 2008.
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13.
Ben Zobrist's versatility was showcased during Game 3 of the 2008 World Series against the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies when he came in as part of a double switch to play right field.
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14.
However, Ben Zobrist initially played unusually shallow, in essence becoming a fifth infielder.
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15.
Ben Zobrist was placed in right field for the beginning of the 2009 season, and was made the starting second baseman after teammate Akinori Iwamura was injured.
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16.
Ben Zobrist earned a trip to his first All-Star Game in St Louis in 2009.
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17.
Ben Zobrist led all hitters in the majors in 2009 for wins above replacement with 8.
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18.
Ben Zobrist played 47 games at shortstop, the most since his rookie season.
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19.
Ben Zobrist finished the year with 20 home runs, accomplishing the feat for the second time in a row.
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20.
Ben Zobrist was named an All Star for the second time of his career.
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21.
On January 10,2015, Ben Zobrist was traded to the Oakland Athletics with teammate Yunel Escobar in exchange for John Jaso, Daniel Robertson, and Boog Powell.
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22.
On July 28,2015, Ben Zobrist was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks.
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23.
Ben Zobrist played second base and batted second in every game of the 2015 Royals postseason.
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24.
On December 8,2015, Ben Zobrist agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.
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25.
Ben Zobrist became the eighth player in Major League history to win consecutive World Series championships on different teams.
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26.
Ben Zobrist was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at second base, along with Dee Gordon and winner DJ LeMahieu.
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27.
Ben Zobrist was ejected for the first time in his career on August 14,2018, by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi.
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28.
In 2019, Ben Zobrist started the season playing in 26 games before being placed on the restricted list on May 6 to deal with a family matter.
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29.
Ben Zobrist had his first Major League pitching appearance in September 2019, striking out Yadier Molina.
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30.
Ben Zobrist accomplished this with a patient, contact-based approach; his swing rate was one of the lowest in the league, leading to a walk rate of 12.
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31.
Ben Zobrist played over 4,200 defensive innings at second base, over 2,200 in right field, over 1,700 at shortstop, and over 500 innings at other outfield positions.
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32.
Ben Zobrist was rated by UZR as a significantly above-average defender at second and in right, and a marginally below-average defender at shortstop.
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33.
Ben Zobrist chose "Zorilla" as his nickname for the Players Weekend during the 2017 season.
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34.
Ben Zobrist and his estranged wife, singer Julianna Zobrist, have three children, one of whom was born five days after Zobrist's Royals won the 2015 World Series.
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37.
Ben Zobrist is a former counselor for Camp of Champions USA, a Christian summer day camp in central Illinois.
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38.
Ben Zobrist speaks at church events about his early life and success, which he credits all to God.
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