Zorilla is Back!

By: Sam Bliesner
http://www.bliesnermlb.mlblogs.com 

(Just as an initial note: some advanced statistics are used, so I have linked each to an explanation through FanGraphs.com; all stats are taken from FanGraphs.com)

After Friday night’s one-hit 11-0 knock out of the Marlins, in which Zobrist went 2-3 with a HR, RBI and 2 runs on the night, something seemed fairly obvious. Ben Zobrist is back. Looking at the Rays season, so far, the offense has not been what it could be and should be. (A more in-depth look at the Rays offense is to come.) The injuries of Evan Longoria, Desmond Jennings, and now Luke Scott, have not helped the offense very much. However, the main argument of needing Evan Longoria back in the lineup is not going to fix the entire offensive problem. The Rays time and time again have squandered at converting base runners into runs (like a bases loaded no-out opportunity against the Mets on Thursday). What the Rays really need to do is get timely hitting. Something that hadn’t seem to be coming from one of the hometown heroes, Ben Zobrist. After Zobrist’s home run in last night’s game, I began to think is Zorilla back to playing some good offensive baseball? So, I took a look at his numbers:

To start off the season, Ben Zobrist put up pretty decent numbers. These numbers actually seemed to follow, his usual trend. His OBP and SLG, were similar to what he usually puts up. His ISO was also at a level well above average, falling in the range he has shown.

March/April

Then, May came around, and his numbers dropped. They definitely fell away from the numbers he puts up. His wRC+, fell to below average, and actually shows he produced 8% fewer runs than league average. Also, Zobrist’s wOBA fell to a very low level.

May

During the Yankees series, Zobrist noted that he spent some extra time with hitting coach Derek Shelton to work on his swing and calm himself down at the plate. Well, so far in the month of June, it has really appeared to be working. Within this past week, Zobrist’s numbers shot up and are well above average in just about the every category (however, this is a fairly small sample size). He has hit as many home runs this week as he did in April, as well as May. Also to note, all of these homers this past week have been against the Marlins, with 2 being in the deep ballpark that is Miami Marlins Park. To take a look at the entire month of June, however, Zobrist’s numbers aren’t as inflated, but probably still a bit more above average than what is expected. However, looking at these numbers and what Zobrist has produced in the back, it definitely appears that Zorilla is back in action. With him back, hopefully the rest of the Rays offense can follow, just in time to get back both Longoria and Keppinger in the lineup.

June

Last Week

Season Statistics