38 Facts About Ben Zobrist

1.

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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,571
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,572
3.

Ben Zobrist played in the showcase, and was given an offer to play college baseball at Olivet Nazarene University, which he accepted.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,573
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,574
5.

Ben Zobrist transferred to Dallas Baptist University for his senior year, where he played shortstop and batted.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,575
6.

Ben Zobrist played for the Twin City Stars of the Central Illinois Collegiate League in 2002 and then in Wausau, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Summer Collegiate Northwoods League in 2003.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,576
7.

Ben Zobrist was voted team MVP and led his team to the League Championship.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,577
8.

Ben Zobrist was drafted by the Houston Astros as a shortstop in the sixth round of the 2004 MLB draft.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,578
9.

Ben Zobrist exclusively played shortstop in his first two seasons with Tampa Bay.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,579
10.

Ben Zobrist struggled through parts of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Rays.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,580
11.

Ben Zobrist was for the most part used as a right fielder and a back-up shortstop during the 2008 season.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,581
12.

Ben Zobrist went to his first World Series as a player with the Rays in 2008.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,582
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,583
14.

However, Ben Zobrist initially played unusually shallow, in essence becoming a fifth infielder.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,584
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,585
16.

Ben Zobrist earned a trip to his first All-Star Game in St Louis in 2009.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,586
17.

Ben Zobrist led all hitters in the majors in 2009 for wins above replacement with 8.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,587
18.

Ben Zobrist played 47 games at shortstop, the most since his rookie season.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,588
19.

Ben Zobrist finished the year with 20 home runs, accomplishing the feat for the second time in a row.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,589
20.

Ben Zobrist was named an All Star for the second time of his career.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,590
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,591
22.

On July 28,2015, Ben Zobrist was traded to the Kansas City Royals for Sean Manaea and Aaron Brooks.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,592
23.

Ben Zobrist played second base and batted second in every game of the 2015 Royals postseason.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,593
24.

On December 8,2015, Ben Zobrist agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,594
25.

Ben Zobrist became the eighth player in Major League history to win consecutive World Series championships on different teams.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,595
26.

Ben Zobrist was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at second base, along with Dee Gordon and winner DJ LeMahieu.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,596
27.

Ben Zobrist was ejected for the first time in his career on August 14,2018, by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,597
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,598
29.

Ben Zobrist had his first Major League pitching appearance in September 2019, striking out Yadier Molina.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,599
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,600
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,601
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,602
33.

Ben Zobrist chose "Zorilla" as his nickname for the Players Weekend during the 2017 season.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,603
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.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,604
35.

In May 2019, Ben Zobrist filed for legal separation in Tennessee on the same day that Julianna Ben Zobrist filed for divorce in Illinois.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,605
36.

In June 2021, Ben Zobrist filed a lawsuit in Tennessee against his former pastor, Byron Yawn, in which he accused Yawn of defrauding Ben Zobrist's charity, Patriot Forward, of millions of dollars.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,606
37.

Ben Zobrist is a former counselor for Camp of Champions USA, a Christian summer day camp in central Illinois.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,607
38.

Ben Zobrist speaks at church events about his early life and success, which he credits all to God.

FactSnippet No. 2,382,608