Ben Zobrist

Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (/ˈzoʊbrɪst/; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chicago Cubs. Zobrist played in three World Series and won the last two, becoming a two-time World Series champion in consecutive seasons of 2015 with the Royals and 2016 with the Cubs, and was the World Series MVP in the latter.

A versatile defender and a switch-hitter with a high walk rate,^[1] he played roughly half his innings at second base, and spent significant time at shortstop and various outfield positions.^[2] Thus, he has often been referred to as a “super utility player,” with subsequent players who also filled this role often being compared to Zobrist.^[3][4]

Early life[edit]

Zobrist was born and raised in Eureka, Illinois, by his parents Cynthia “Cindi” (née Cali) and Tom Zobrist, senior pastor of Liberty Bible Church in Eureka.^[5] He grew up a St. Louis Cardinals fan.^[6]

Zobrist played baseball starting when he was eight years old; he and his friends built their own wiffle ball field behind his house. Zobrist attended Eureka High School, graduating in 1999. After no professional scouts 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 attend Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, Missouri, but his high school coach encouraged him to spend $50 to participate in an annual summer event that showcased seniors in Peoria, Illinois.^[7] He played in the showcase, and was given an offer to play college baseball at Olivet 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 received NAIA Honorable Mention All-America status.^[8] He was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, first team All-Region VII, and first team NAIA All-America in 2003.^[9] He transferred to Dallas Baptist University for his senior year, where he played shortstop and batted .378 with a .590 slugging percentage.^[10][11]

Baseball career[edit]

Zobrist played for the Twin City Stars of the Central Illinois Collegiate League (Now Prospect League) in 2002 and then in Wausau, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Summer Collegiate Northwoods League in 2003. He was voted team MVP and led his team to the League Championship.^[12]

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays[edit]

Zobrist was drafted by the Houston Astros as a shortstop in the sixth round of the 2004 MLB draft. With right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot, Zobrist was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for first baseman/designated hitter Aubrey 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 president Andrew Friedman said, “He became a lot more physical.”^[10]

On December 8, 2015, Zobrist agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. The signing reunited him with Joe Maddon, his manager when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.^[32] In 2016, he batted .272/.386/.446 and led the major leagues in walks-per-strikeout at 1.17.^[33]

In Game 4 of the 2016 National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants with the Cubs having a 2–1 series lead, Zobrist drove in Kris Bryant to score the first run in the top of the ninth and later scored the tying run on a two-run single by Willson Contreras. The Cubs scored another run later that inning, sending them to the National League Championship Series.^[34] Following the Cubs’ Game 7 victory in the 2016 World Series, after driving in the first of two go-ahead runs in the top of the 10th inning, he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player and received his second World Series ring.^[35] He became the eighth player in Major League history to win consecutive World Series championships on different teams.^[36]

In 2017, Zobrist played in 159 games, batting .232/.318/.375. Playing five different positions, he committed only three errors and had a fielding percentage of .991. He was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at second base, along with Dee Gordon and winner DJ LeMahieu.^[37]

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 umpire Phil Cuzzi.^[38]

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. Following rumors throughout the next months, Zobrist announced his return in late July 2019, and began rehab assignments with the South Bend Cubs and Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Zobrist also had his first Major League pitching appearance in September 2019, striking out Yadier Molina.^[39] In 2019 he batted .260/.358/.313 with one home run in 150 at bats.^[40]

In 1,434 games over 14 seasons, Garciaparra posted a .313 batting average (1,747-for-5,586) with 927 runs, 370 doubles, 52 triples, 229 home runs, 936 RBI, 95 stolen bases, 403 bases on balls, .361 on-base percentage, and .521 slugging percentage. He finished his career with an overall .975 fielding percentage. In 32 postseason games, he was productive, batting .321 (36-for-112) with seven home runs and 24 RBI.^[27]

On Wednesday, February 5, 2014, it was announced that Garciaparra would be inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, along with former pitchers Pedro Martínez and Roger Clemens, as well as longtime radio announcer Joe Castiglione.^[31]

Jeffrey Guy Conine (/ˈkoʊnaɪn/; born June 27, 1966) is an American former professional baseball left fielder / first baseman and current assistant baseball coach at Florida International University, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons, with six teams.^[1] An inaugural member of the Florida Marlins who was with the franchise for both of its World Series titles, he was nicknamed Mr. Marlin for his significant history with the club.^[2]

Conine was born in Tacoma, Washington, played baseball at UCLA, and was drafted in the 58th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals. After two cup of coffee stints with the Royals, Conine was selected by the Marlins in the 1992 Major League Baseball expansion draft. Becoming the team’s first star, he played five seasons with the Marlins, earning the most valuable player award at the 1995 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was part of the World Series-winning team in 1997.

A victim of a fire sale after the 1997 season, Conine was traded back to the Royals and then to the Baltimore Orioles. Traded back to the Marlins in 2003, he helped the team win a second World Series title. He remained with the team until 2005, returning to the Orioles as a free agent. He became a journeyman outfielder near the end of his career, signing a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Marlins in 2008.

Early career[edit]

Conine played college baseball at UCLA, where he was originally a relief pitcher.^[3] In the summer of 1986, he won a Cape Cod Baseball League title with the Orleans Cardinals.^[4] He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 58th round of the 1987 Major League Baseball draft as a first baseman.^[5] Prior to the draft, Conine was considered a mediocre pitching prospect with a high earned run average and a “decent” slider.^[3] He only had one at-bat as a member of the Bruins, a hit by a pitch. A recommendation by Royals scout and former UCLA pitching coach Guy Hansen led Conine to be drafted, when Hansen told Royals general manager John Schuerholz that the best hitter on UCLA’s team “was a pitcher”.^[3] After three minor league seasons, in which Conine batted .290 with 39 home runs and 214 runs batted in, he joined the Royals as a September call-up in 1990. He returned to the minors for two more seasons, and learned to play the outfield with the Omaha Royals before returning to the majors late in the 1992 season.

Professional baseball career[edit]

Florida Marlins (1993–1997)[edit]

Conine was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 1992 Major League Baseball expansion draft, and converted into a full-time left fielder. Though the Marlins narrowly avoided 100 losses, Conine emerged as a star. He went four-for-four in his first game as a Marlin in a 6–3 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.^[6] Conine played the full 162 game schedule in left field his rookie season. He batted .292 with 12 home runs and 79 RBIs to earn a third-place finish in National League Rookie of the Year balloting.^[1]

The following season, Conine was batting .313 with 13 home runs and 64 runs batted at mid-season and earned his first All-Star selection. He finished the strike shortened 1994 season with a career high .319 batting average, 18 home runs and 82 RBIs.^[1] During the strike, Conine returned to the Marlins’ Instructional League affiliate in Brevard County, Florida, to learn third base.^[7]

The experiment never materialized, and Conine returned to left field once play resumed in 1995. He batted .340 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs in June to earn National League Player of the Month honors and his second consecutive All-Star nod. In his only career All-Star Game at-bat, he hit a go-ahead pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning and won the MVP award.^[8] For the season, he finished fourth in the league with a career-high 105 RBIs with a .302 batting average and 25 home runs. In 1996, Conine had 26 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .293 batting average.^[1]

1997 World Series Champions[edit]

Newly hired Marlins manager Jim Leyland shifted Conine back to first base in 1997, as the club had acquired free agent Moisés Alou to play left field. The Marlins finished second to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East by nine games, winning the wild card with a 92–70 record. After sweeping the San Francisco Giants in the 1997 National League Division Series,^[9] the Marlins defeated their division rival Braves in the 1997 National League Championship Series, four games to two. Conine’s seventh inning single provided the game-winning RBI in game five of the series.^[10]

The Marlins beat Cleveland in a seven-game World Series to break the 1969 New York Mets’ record as the youngest expansion franchise to ever win a World Series title. Conine batted .214 with no home runs, three RBIs and five runs scored in his first postseason. Immediately after winning the World Series, Marlins owner Wayne Huizenga dismantled his club, claiming financial losses despite having won the World Series. As part of the “fire sale” of his franchise’s best players, Conine was shipped back to the Kansas City Royals for minor league pitcher Blaine Mull. At the time of his departure, Conine held the franchise records for hits, RBIs and games played.^[11]

Donald Newcombe (June 14, 1926 – February 19, 2019), nicknamed “Newk“, was an American professional baseball pitcher in Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Newark Eagles (1944–45), Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers (1949–1951 and 1954–58), Cincinnati Reds (1958–1960), and Cleveland Indians (1960).

Newcombe was the first pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and Cy Young Awards during his career. This distinction would not be achieved again until 2011, when Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, who was Rookie of the Year in 2006, won the Cy Young and MVP awards. In 1949, he became the first black pitcher to start a World Series game. In 1951, Newcombe was the first black pitcher to win 20 games in one season.^[1] In 1956, the inaugural year of the Cy Young Award, he became the first pitcher to win the National League MVP and the Cy Young in the same season.^[2]

Newcombe was an excellent hitting pitcher who compiled a career batting average of .271 with 15 home runs and was used as a pinch hitter, a rarity for pitchers.^[3]

Early life[edit]

Newcombe was born in Madison, New Jersey, on June 14, 1926, and was raised in Elizabeth.^[4] He had three brothers and a sister. His father worked as a chauffeur.^[5]

Newcombe attended Jefferson High School in Elizabeth. The school did not have a baseball team, so Newcombe played semi-professional baseball while attending high school.^[5]

Career[edit]

After playing briefly with the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League in 1944 and 1945, Newcombe signed with the Dodgers. With catcher Roy Campanella, Newcombe played for the first racially integrated baseball team based in the United States in the 20th century, the 1946 Nashua Dodgers of the New England League.^[6] He continued to play for Nashua in 1947 before being promoted to the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League in 1948.^[5]

Newcombe debuted for Brooklyn on May 20, 1949, becoming the third African American pitcher in the major leagues, after Dan Bankhead and Satchel Paige.^[5] Effa Manley, business manager for the Eagles, agreed to let the Dodgers’ Branch Rickey sign Newcombe to a contract. Manley was not compensated for the release of Newcombe.^[7]: p.288 He immediately helped the Dodgers to the league pennant as he earned seventeen victories, led the league in shutouts, and pitched 32 consecutive scoreless innings.^[8] He was also among the first four black players to be named to an All-Star team, along with teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella and the Indians’ Larry Doby. Newcombe was named Rookie of the Year by both The Sporting News and the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.^[5] In 1950, he won 19 games, and 20 the following season, also leading the league in strikeouts in 1951.^[9] In the memorable playoff game between the Dodgers and the Giants at the end of the 1951 season, Newcombe was relieved by Ralph Branca in the bottom of the ninth inning when Clyde Sukeforth instructed manager Chuck Dressen to bring in Branca. Branca then surrendered the walk-off home run to Bobby Thomson to give the Giants the pennant.^[10]

After two years of mandatory military duty during the Korean War, Newcombe suffered a disappointing season in 1954, going 9–8 with a 4.55 earned run average, but returned to form the next year by finishing second in the NL in both wins and earned run average, with marks of 20–5 and 3.20, as the Dodgers won their first World Series in franchise history. He had an even greater 1956 season, with marks of 27–7, 139 strikeouts, and a 3.06 ERA, five shutouts and 18 complete games, leading the league in winning percentage for the second year in a row. He was named the National League‘s MVP, and was awarded the first-ever Cy Young Award, then given to the best pitcher in the combined major leagues. He was the only player to win MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards until Justin Verlander accomplished the feat in 2011.^[11] Newcombe had a difficult time in the 1956 World Series.^[12] He was the losing pitcher in Game 7. Berra, who hit three home runs off of him in the series, hit two of them in Game 7. The Yankees and Johnny Kucks won 9–0.^[5]

Following the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles, Newcombe got off to an 0–6 start in 1958 before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Steve Bilko, Johnny Klippstein, and two players to be named later during the season.^[5] He posted a record of 24–21 with Cincinnati until his contract was sold to Cleveland in mid-1960. He finished with a 2–3 mark in Cleveland before being released to end his major league career. Newcombe acknowledged that alcoholism played a significant role in the decline of his career.^[13]

On May 28, 1962, Newcombe signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball‘s Central League. Newcombe played one season in Japan, splitting time as an outfielder and a first baseman, only pitching in one game. In 81 games, he hit .262 with 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in (RBIs).^[14]

In his ten-year major league career, Newcombe registered a record of 149–90, with 1,129 strikeouts and a 3.56 ERA, 136 complete games and 24 shutouts in 2,154 innings pitched. In addition to his pitching abilities, Newcombe was a dangerous hitter, hitting seven home runs in the 1955 season.^[15] He batted .271 (ninth-best average in history among pitchers), with 15 home runs, 108 RBIs, 238 hits, 33 doubles, three triples, 94 runs scored and eight stolen bases.^[16]

Life after retirement[edit]

Newcombe rejoined the Dodger organization in the late 1970s and served as the team’s Director of Community Affairs. In March 2009, he was named special adviser to the chairman of the team.^[17]

Newcombe was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary‘s Shrine of the Eternals in 2016^[18] and into the initial class of “Legends of Dodger Baseball” in 2019.^[19]