Ben Zobrist

Carlos Pena had a stellar year in 2007, and to say thanks, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays decided to provide him with a hefty raise. Unfortunately, he'll be playing in Tampa. And no one told him that's a bad thing. The 28-year-old slugger and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided arbitration, reached a preliminary agreement on a three-year contract worth $24,125,000. Pena must pass a physical to complete the deal, which would pay him $6 million this year, $8 million next year and $10,125,000 in 2010. It's...Read Full Story

I won’t bore you with a long post about how Ben Zobrist will bounce back because quite frankly I already wrote it. Bottom line was that Zobrist was still swinging the same percentage of time but he was letting more strikes in the zone go by and swinging, yet making weak contact, at more balls [...]View and VoteRead Full Story

Ben Zobrist had a down year in after a terrific 2009 season, but he did walk over 90 times for the second year in a row and posted 24 stolen bases. Zobrist walk total shows you the discipline he has at the plate, and that is a good sign he can bounce back for fantasy [...]View and VoteRead Full Story

In what was intended to be a weekend worth of mid-season picks for major MLB awards, my laziness has stretched to three weeks.That being said, I'm ready to post my selection for the A.L. MVP as the Cubs and Cardinals play us into this year's All-Star break.For N.L. MVP, there was no uncertainty. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was the obvious choice. The A.L. MVP isn't nearly as obvious.A.L. MVP: Joe Mauer, Twins - Ernie Lombardi (1942) was the last catcher to win a battle before Joe...Read Full Story

In what was intended to be a weekend worth of mid-season picks for major MLB awards, my laziness has stretched to three weeks.That being said, I'm ready to post my selection for the A.L. MVP as the Cubs and Cardinals play us into this year's All-Star break.For N.L. MVP, there was no uncertainty. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was the obvious choice. The A.L. MVP isn't nearly as obvious.A.L. MVP: Joe Mauer, Twins - Ernie Lombardi (1942) was the last catcher to win a battle before Joe...Read Full Story

In what was intended to be a weekend worth of mid-season picks for major MLB awards, my laziness has stretched to three weeks.That being said, I'm ready to post my selection for the A.L. MVP as the Cubs and Cardinals play us into this year's All-Star break.For N.L. MVP, there was no uncertainty. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was the obvious choice. The A.L. MVP isn't nearly as obvious.A.L. MVP: Joe Mauer, Twins - Ernie Lombardi (1942) was the last catcher to win a battle before Joe...Read Full Story

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Ben Zobrist and Carlos Pena both homered in a three-run fifth inning Friday and Tampa Bay tightened the wild card race with a 5-3 win over Texas. Scott Kazmir (8-7) took a shutout into the eighth inning before the Rangers made it close and the Rays went on to capture their sixth victory in seven games. Tampa Bay already had a 2-0 lead going into the fifth, when Zobrist hit a two-run homer and Carlos Pena produced a solo shot, his 32nd of the season...Read Full Story

DETROIT, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- David Price limited the Tigers to a run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings Saturday, leading Tampa Bay to a 3-1 win at Detroit. Price (7-6) struck out only four batters in 106 pitches, but prevented a big inning by inducing 11 ground ball outs. Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist, Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford all knocked in one run. J.P. Howell earned his 16th save with a 1-2-3 ninth. The Rays won for the fifth time in eight contests against the Tigers this season, despite only...Read Full Story

Ben Zobrist. The Big Z. Zorilla. Zeus, to some. Whatever you call him, he went from a Godsend to a bust, in some circles. During his breakout 2009 campaign, everybody was clamoring to get their hands on Zobrist in fantasy leagues and Rays fans were reveling in the limelight of their star utilityman. But last year, he was nothing short of a disappointment, hitting almost 60 points less and his home run total was roughly a third of what it was in ’09. So, which is the real Zobrist? The guy that...Read Full Story

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 15 (UPI) -- B.J. Upton hit his first home run of the season to open the ninth inning Friday, completing a Tampa Bay rally and giving the Rays an 8-7 win over Cleveland. Upton, who came into the game batting .179, hit a 3-2 pitch off Luis Vizcaino (0-1). Upton was the only batter Vizcaino faced. Cleveland built a 7-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings and the Rays spent the rest of the game chipping away at their deficit. Carlos Pena had a two-run single as part of a three...Read Full Story