I’ve been waiting for Ben Zobrist to get going since the start of the 2010 season. That’s 13 months that he’s consistently let me down. I figured his 10 home runs and .238 average last year were just a bump in the road and that 2011 would be the rebound us Zobrist fans needed. After all his line drive rate last year was still good (17.8%) and he did steal 24 bases.
Now one month into this year we find ourselves asking the same questions about Zobrist, except this time they’re more “if” we can expect him to rebound rather than “when” we expect him to rebound.
With 22 games and 79 at-bats under his belt, I feel pretty confident I know who the real Zobrist is. He already has five homers on the year, so the 10 he managed last season seem like the anomaly, and it took until Easter Sunday for him to register his first dual home run-stolen base game of the year—something I want to see a lot more of considering the potential he has. While his average sits at just .203 thanks to a .208 BABIP (and courtesy of a 10.3% line-drive rate and a 26.6% strikeout rate) he is on pace for 34 homers and 20 steals over 150 games. No, I don’t expect him to reach the 34 homers, but he has proven the 20 steals is a realistic benchmark and one would think the average would improve along with the line-drive rate (unless he’s doing his best Aaron Hill, circa 2010).
Now is the time to trade for Zobrist if you have any need for a second baseman, an outfielder or a productive 20/20 player in general (sarcasm).
Three Up
Roy Halladay, SP, PHI - 8 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 14 K
David Wright, 3B, NYM – 2-for-4, 2 HR, SB, 3 R, 3 RBI
Mike Aviles, 2B/3B, KC – 3-for-5, 2 HR, SB, 2 R, 4 RBI
Three Down
Freddie Freeman, 1B, ATL – 0-for-5, K, 7 LOB
Mark Trumbo, 1B, LAA - 0-for-4, 3 K
Jonny Gomes, OF, CIN – 0-for-3, K, 5 LOB, CS
Notes
- It took Rickie Weeks 19 games to steal his first base of 2011. After stealing just nine bases last year, many Weeks owners are a little concerned he’s no longer the menace on the base paths that he was from 2005 to 2008 when he averaged 19.5 steals per year in very limited time. With thefts in back-to-back games, owners can relax somewhat. In my opinion, it’s just nice to see that his power from 2010 wasn’t a total fluke and he’s still scoring runs in bunches. Plus, that .280 average looks pretty nifty.
- Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one hit but three earned runs thanks to a first inning triple by Omar Infante, but that’s life for any pitcher who allows their share of free passes. Still, Jimenez will likely be perfectly fine and while no one realistically expected a repeat of his 15-1 first half last year, he still appears to be a dominant starter who could approach 200 strikeouts with a low ERA, serviceable WHIP and a lot of wins. Trade for him now while his 6.75 ERA and penchant for walks scare current owners.
- Jason Bay is doing his best Alex Gordon impression by compiling a four-game hit streak in his first four games back. While he’s batting .333 in the early going, I’m a little worried about his seven strikeouts in just 15 at-bats. He does have a homer already, and frankly the homers with the occasional steal are what you’re really hoping for out of Bay, so I do have some modicum of confidence, but I’m ready to jump ship if we see a semi-extended drought (like maybe two weeks).
