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BEN ZOBRIST
Houston Astros organization |
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Zobrist completes path from prep
unknown
to Team USA starter
Thursday, September 15, 2005
In just a few years, Eureka native Ben Zobrist went from his sport's hinterlands all the way to the Netherlands for the Baseball World Cup.
"How many chances do you get in a lifetime to put on a USA jersey and play for your country?" Zobrist said by telephone from Amsterdam.
The United States was eliminated from gold-medal contention Wednesday with an 11-3 loss to Cuba. Zobrist had an RBI groundout but saw his seven-game hitting streak snapped.
Despite the setback, the shortstop is in a position he never dared dream of at Eureka High School.
Although he was 5-foot-3 and 105 pounds - a far cry from today's 6-3, 200-pound frame - Zobrist forced his way onto the varsity as a freshman.
Zobrist helped coach Bob Gold's team to a pair of 20-win seasons, but baseball didn't appear to be in his future.
He decided to attend Calvary Bible College in Kansas, which doesn't offer baseball.
After a strong senior season, Zobrist decided to attend a showcase event in Brimfield.
"He was just going for the fun of playing one more day," Gold said.
Instead, Zobrist caught a coach's attention and received a scholarship offer from Olivet Nazerene.
Zobrist helped that program to the NAIA World Series in 2003 before transferring to Dallas Baptist for his senior season. There, Zobrist won the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in 2004.
He also completed the long road from unknown to prospect when the Houston Astros drafted him in the sixth round.
"I know God had a plan for me," Zobrist said.
Although the scale of Zobrist's success seems surprising, those who know him say it's anything but an accident.
"He's always been the hardest worker I've been around," said Zobrist's dad, Tom. "Even as a 10-year-old, he'd be doing 100 situps in his room. "He always wanted to be in shape.
"He's still like that today. In every area of his life, he gives it 100 percent."
That caught Gold's attention.
"When he got to high school, he was a tiny little thing," Gold said. "But he would fight you for everything, so I moved him up to the varsity. You knew if he caught up physically he was going to be very talented."
A year after being named most valuable player of the short-season New York-Penn League in 2004, Zobrist began his first full professional season at Lexington of the low-Class A South Atlantic League.
After hitting .304 to earn a spot in the league's All-Star Game, Zobrist was promoted to Salem of the high-A Carolina League.
Zobrist, 24, hit .333 there.
He put up strong numbers despite playing all season with a sore knee that will require offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
He gained permission from the Astros to cut his season short and join USA Baseball.
Many top prospects weren't granted an early exit from their organizations, leaving USA manager Davey Johnson with just a few top-notch players from the minor leagues.
Zobrist, rated by Baseball America as the Astros' No. 16 prospect going into 2005, is one of the top names after projected Mets star Lastings Milledge.
Team USA went 6-2 in pool play before Wednesday's loss to Cuba sent the Americans into the consolation bracket for a game against Nicaragua.
Through the team's nine games, Zobrist ranked second on the U.S. with a .357 average out of the No. 2 spot. Zobrist also had two doubles, a home run, five RBIs, eight runs, three steals and three errors.
He was one of the batters hit by a pitch in an earlier game against Cuba that included a benches-clearing altercation.
"It's been a good learning experience for me, to be around Davey Johnson and these great coaches and to see all the styles the different teams play," Zobrist said. "I feel blessed to have a season like this (despite) the injuries that I've had."