He is probably the least known All-Star caliber baseball player in the major leagues.
He got a headline this week when his old team, the Rays, traded him to Oakland.
The Rays have announced that they’ve traded IN/OF Ben Zobrist and SS Yunel Escobar to the Athletics for catcher/DH John Jaso, shortstop prospect Daniel Robertson (BA rank #85 in baseball), outfield prospect Boog Powell (Oakland's #11 prospect), and $1.5 million in cash.
The
33-year-old Zobrist has been one of baseball’s best players over the
past several seasons, with four straight seasons of an fWAR of above
5.0. While his offense the past two years has been down from his
2008-2012 pace (slipping somewhat to .272/.354/.395 in 2014), his
defensive talents and ability to play second base, shortstop and
outfield make him tremendously valuable. He will be eligible for free
agency after making $7.5 million in the last option season on the
team-friendly extension he signed with Tampa in 2010. The Athletics can
also extend Zobrist a qualifying offer after the season, potentially
netting themselves a draft pick if he signs elsewhere.
Zobrist's 9 year average WAR is an outstanding 4.07. He has had two seasons in which his WAR was more than 8! In 2009 (8.9) and 2011 (8.7). In the last three seasons, his WAR has been 5.7, 4.8, and 5.0. In 2014 he hit 16 HR, 52 RBI, .272 BA and 10 SB. In his 9 year career, he has hit 114 HR, 511 RBI, .264 BA with 102 SB.
Playing in Tampa certainly had dampened Zobrist's national reputation. But Billy Beane continues to find value in re-tolling his Oakland club for another post-season run in 2015, acquiring young talent like infielder Marcus Semien, which some scouts compare favorably to a young Zobrist.
