Lingering in the Houston Astros' organization at their Class-AA affiliate in Corpus Christi, Ben Zobrist's path to the major leagues went from neutral to warp speed in a matter of a couple of weeks.
Zobrist, who was Pence’s teammate coming up through the farm system from Tri-City to Lexington to Salem. had played at tiny Dallas Baptist College. He wasn’t a high draft pick, taken in the sixth round of the June
2004 draft and, worst of all, he would turn 25 in May.
Pence and Anderson are doing pretty much what Houston expected them to do in Double-A. Zobrist no longer is with them; He’s in the majors.
After hitting a robust .327 -- and slugging at a .473 clip -- with the
Hooks, Zobrist was obtained by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a mid-June deal that involved three players, including Aubrey Huff, and cash considerations.
Twenty days later, the 25-year-old shortstop was making his big-league debut against the Detroit Tigers after incumbent shortstop Julio Lugo was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline.
Tampa Bay has used the minor league leadoff hitter as its ninth batter in the majors.
His opportunity to continue to play full-time with Tampa Bay relies heavily on former No. 2 overall pick B.J. Upton. Upton has struggled at shortstop, and is getting a try at third base with the Devil Rays to help fill the void left by the departure of Huff.
If Upton can't handle third, he'll likely be moved back to shortstop to start the 2007 season, leaving Zobrist either on the bench as a utility player, or starting the year at Triple-A Durham.
His minor league performances this season were consistent with what he has done throughout his pro career.
Before being acquired by Tampa Bay, the switch-hitting infielder was leading the Texas League with six triples in 82 games, and was ranked second in batting. In addition, he was named the league's South Division All-Star shortstop, making it three consecutive professional seasons in which he has been named to an All-Star team.
Zobrist batted better than .300 in each of his five stops since he was drafted in 2004. Perhaps better yet, he walked more than he struck out, for an on-base percentage better than .400, at each level. He has reached double digits in steals each year, he has played good defense, and perhaps most important from a player in the bully Bulls clubhouse, played nicely with others in his brief stint down.
The 6-3, 200-pounder is a good athlete, and a steady performer. His across-the-board skills and ability to do baseball’s little things may not be as noticeable as hitting a long ball or dashing around the bases, but he is the kind of every day guy that gets his club in playoff contention.
How has he advanced so far so fast?
Zobrist explained simply, “A lot of hard work.”
- Lary BUMP & Bob MATUSZAK
