Biography of Ben Zobrist [Age, Height, Wife, Kids, Family, Salary, Award & Net worth ]

Ben Zobrist, aka “Zorilla,” is a retired professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who was on the grounds from his high school days to 2019.

He has played for three World Series as a professional athlete, becoming the two-time World Series champion consecutively.

Zobrist is referred to as a “super-utility player” and one of the seven players in the MLB history to win back- to back World Champion series along with conquering 2016’s World Series Most Valuable Player. 

Ben Zobrist

An exceptional baseball athlete indeed. Furthermore, let’s explore more in-depth about “Zorilla,” an outstanding baseball athlete that the world has known.

Let’s look into some quick facts about Ben Zobrist first.

Ben Zobrist | Quick Facts

Ben Zobrist | Early Life, Family, & Education

Retired professional baseball athlete Ben Zobrist famous as ‘Zorilla,’ was born on May 26th,1981, in Eureka, Illinois, to his proud parents Cynthia Zobrist and Tom Zobrist.

Ben’s father is a senior pastor of Liberty Bible Church located in Eureka. He has four siblings whose names are Serena Zobrist, Noah Zobrist, Peter Zobrist, Jessica Zobrist. 

Furthermore, Ben started playing baseball since he was eight years old. He was indeed very passionate about baseball since he was a toddler.

Ben and his friends even built their Wiffle ball field behind his house. It was as if he always knew that he was meant to play baseball.

Ben with his mother, Cynthia Zobrist

According to the zodiac, Ben is a Gemini. Geminis are mostly known for being adaptive, outgoing, and intelligent.

We can undoubtedly identify all of these traits in Zobrist throughout his career as a professional baseball athlete.

Age, Height, and Body Measurements

Furthermore, the former baseball star is 41 years old. Ben has an athletic physique and stands at an impressive height of 6’3″, and weighs 90kgs.

Talking about the physical appearances, he has a Light Brown hair color with Brown pair of eyes.

Education

As for his education, Ben attended Eureka High School and graduated in the year 1999.

After none of the professional college recruiters or scouts considered him, he thought baseball was pretty much over for him after his last high school game.

Thus, Ben planned to attend Calvary Bible College, located in Kansas City, Missouri, for his college.

Nevertheless, his high school coach thought otherwise and encouraged Ben to participate in Peoria, Illinois’s annual summer event, which showcased seniors.

He played and was given an offer at Olivet Nazarene University to play college baseball.

During his time in Olivet, he played at second base and shortstop and also pitched. His college career was indeed a significant highlight for his future professional career.

Throughout his time at Olivet, he won many awards. In 2002, he won All-CCAC and All-Region VII First Team, NAIA Honorable Mention All-America status.

Likewise, he also won the First-team All-Region VII, Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and First-team NAIA All-America during 2003. 

Later, he transferred to Dallas Baptist University during his senior year, where he played as a shortstop. He indeed achieved a lot as a rising baseball star that we know and remember to this day.

Ben Zobrist | Baseball Career and Profession

The games that opened doors for Zobrist’s professional career were the 2002 Twin City Stars of the Central Illinois Collegiate League and the 2003 Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Summer Collegiate Northwoods League of Wausau, Wisconsi.

He was also voted as team MVP and then led his team to the League Championship.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

The Houston Astros drafted Ben as the shortstop during the sixth round of the 2004 draft. He was traded to the Rays for Aubrey Huff on July 12th, 2006.

Zobrist playing for Tampa Bay

On August 1st, 2006, Zobrist made his MLB debut with Tampa Bay. Ben struggled during the seasons 2006 and 2007 with Tampa Bay.

However, he was later helped by the swing coach, which proved to be evident for the Tampa Rays during the 2008 season, as he went to his first World Series as part of the Tampa Rays.

2009 Season

During the 2009 season with the Rays, Tampa Rays placed Ben in the right field and starting-second baseman after Akinori Iwamura injury.

Zobrist earned a trip to his first All-Star Game in St. Louis in 2009 while leading the Rays. He hit three grand slams, which was amongst the league leaders in slugging percentage.

During the League, this exceptional performance earned him MVP of the Rays by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association Of America.

Zobrist’s manager Joe Maddon gave him his famously known nickname ‘Zorilla’ in the 2009 season.

2010 Season

On April 23rd, 2010, Zobrist and the Rays agreed to a three-year contract throughout the 2013 season in addition to a team option for the seasons 2014 and 2015, worth $30 million.

2011 Season

During the 2011 season on April 28th, 2011, Ben collected eight RBIs in the 15-3 rout while playing against the Minnesota Twins.

The league held another game during the same day, where Zobrist again drove another two runs, now making a total of 10 RBIs.

2012 Season

As he proved his skills in the previous seasons, The Rays utilized Zobrist’s skills in the 2012 league at multiple positions, including shortstop, outfielder, and second baseman.

2013 Season

During the 2013 season, Zobrist was named an All-Star by the League for the second time throughout his career. But on the other hand, he was also a strikeout victim the same season.

2014 Season

Ben recorded his 1,000th career hit while playing against New York Yankees in the Yankee Stadium on September 10th, 2014.

Oakland Athletics

The Rays later traded Zobrist and his teammate Yunel Escobar to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for John Jaso and Daniel Robertson.

Ben hit a two-run homer during his league games with the Oakland Athletics in his first at-bat on an opening day.

Sadly, Oakland revealed the news regarding Zobrist’s injury, a torn left knee medial meniscus. The injury kept Ben on the 15- day disabled list.

He also had to go through a knee surgery, which kept him out of action for a long 4-6 weeks.

Kansas City Royals

Oakland Athletics traded Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals for Sean Brooks. While playing alongside the Royals, he played a total of 59 games in the regular season.

Kansas City Royals winning the 2015 World series

The Kansas City Royals won the Al Central Division and advanced to the World Series, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in six games becoming the American League Champions.

The Royals won the 2015 World Series by defeating the New York Mets in four out of the five games.

Chicago Cubs

Zobrist agreed to a four-year contract worth $56 million with the Chicago Cubs on December 8th, 2015, where he was reunited with Joe Maddon, his former manager at Tampa Bay Rays.

Chicago Cubs went to the National League Championship Series 2016 and later to the 2016 World Series of MLB.

He was named World Series Most Valuable Player and received his second World Series Ring after driving in the first two go-ahead runs in the top of the 10th inning.

During 2017, Ben was the finalist of the Gold Glove Award at second base. Zobrist was ejected for the first time in his career on August 14th,2018.

Moreover, it was the same year when he had a career-high batting average.

Ben started the 2019 season playing 26 games but was placed on the restricted list to deal with a family emergency on May 6th,2019. He announced his return in late July.

Zobrist began the rehab assignment with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and South Bend Cubs. After his arrival, he had his first Major League pitching appearance, striking out Yadier Molina in September 2019 season.

Ben Zobrist | Career Stats

Ben Zobrist | Retirement

In February 2020, Jon Heyman, a baseball insider, reported Zobrist’s information not planning to play in the 2020 season.

Ben confirmed his retirement on March 6th,2020 saying he was open to joining the Cubs in a non-player capacity in the future.

Ben Zobrist | Net Worth

Reviewing Ben’s contracts with former teams in the past, it is well-known that he was a very well-paid professional athlete.

MOREOVER, ZOBRIST’S NET WORTH IS ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND $51 MILLION.

Ben Zobrist | Wife and Children

Ben Zobrist was married to his ex-wife, Christian musician Julianna Zobrist, in 2005. They have three children Zion Benjamin Zobrist, Kruse Allegra Zobrist, and Blaise Royal Zobrist.

Zobrist Family

Zobrist filed for legal separation in Tennessee, while Julianna also filed for divorce in Illinois on the same day in May 2019.

Ben accused that his wife has been guilty of inappropriate marital conduct, which renders further cohabitation impossible.

However, there is no official news of the couple being divorced after filling the case for each other. The Instagram post of Ben still shows that the couples are together.

Ben Zobrist | Podcast

With Tim Dillard, Ryan Schmalz, and Joshua Costello, Ben Zobrist had their podcast named The SHOW and GO Podcast, categorized as a baseball podcast.

In the podcast, they talked about baseball basics for amateur players, coaches, leagues, and various players, basically involving everyone and everything that comes under baseball.

The podcast has a total of 17 episodes, the last episode airing on March 18th, 2019.

Ben Zobrist | Social Media Presence

Instagram – 296K followers

Twitter- 211.5K followers

Interesting Facts about Ben Zobrist

1. Ben is a former counselor in Camp of Champions USA, a summer day camp in central Illinois. Zobrist often talks regarding his early life success and career at church events, which he credits to God.
2. Ben played a cameo role in the 2013 film Ring the Bell, released by Provident Films.

Common Queries about Ben Zobrist

Are Julianna Zobrist and Ben back together?

Ben Zobrist and Juliana Zobrist have not disclosed any information regarding them coming back together yet.

What happened to Ben Zobrist?

Ben Zobrist left the league on May 6th,2019, due to a family emergency. He returned in September 2019, his first appearance in the season after his break. Later, Ben announced his retirement on March 6th,2020.

Which is the last game Zobrist played with?

Before his retirement, Zobrist played with the Chicago Clubs team. He last played in 2019 and only played for 47 games in his final seasons.

Is Ben Zobrist a hall of Fame?

Ben is not in the hall of Fame.