Chicago Cubs: Ben Zobrist is really going to be missed

Chicago Cubs: Last season showed just how much of a difference Ben Zobrist made for the Chicago Cubs. Going forward without him is going to be tough.

One of the most excellent images in Chicago Cubs history is of Ben Zobrist jumping in celebration after hitting a go-ahead RBI double in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Zobrist was in his first year as a Cub when he recorded that hit, which alone made his four-year deal 100 percent worth it. Of course, his overall performance as a Cub also justified the deal.

For the first time since 2015, the Cubs enter a season without Zobrist being on the roster. After missing much of last year due to personal reasons, Zobrist (38) appears to be done playing baseball for now. While not “officially” retired, it seems extremely unlikely he will play again with his age and missing a season. If he indeed is done for good, he had one heck of a career: .266/.357/.426 with 167 homers, .783 OPS, 116 wRC+ and 44.4 fWAR in 1,651 games. He was a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and World Series MVP in 2016.

This is a significant loss for the Cubs. Regardless of his career status, he was going to be a free agent anyway,  but it cannot be said enough how important he was to this team. A professional hitter, extremely versatile, great role model and postseason hero. It is not easy to replace such a balanced player that brought class and leadership to the team.

Chicago Cubs: Zobrist was an essential cog in the Cubs offensive machine.

The term “Professional Hitter” described Ben Zobrist so well. As a Cub, he slashed .269/.362/.411 in 461 games, which only tells part of the story of the switch hitter.

His ability to make contact and walk made him such a well-balanced hitter. His K% of 13% and BB% of 12% are both right around the FanGraphs “great” percentile in both categories (12.5%). His season-average as a Cub in z-contact (contact with pitches in the strike zone) was 92.43% with the league average at 87%, SwStr% (swings and misses) was 5.0 with the league average at 9.5% and o-swing (swinging pitches out of the zone) was 23% with the league average at 30%.

His approach itself was superb. In his 1,823 plate appearances as a Cub, he went to a full count 265 times (roughly 15% of them) and on those full counts, he totaled 39 hits and 85 walks (32% BB rate). In 2016 alone, he had a .474 OBP after getting to a full count.

No, Zobrist did not have much pop, but he could slug the ball from time to time. The main part of his game was solid contact and walks. The Cubs have been mostly an “all or nothing” offense that can slug and draw walks…but miss the ball a lot as well.

Zobrist was good to have if you needed to start a rally by getting on base or driving in a run if solid (keyword: SOLID) contact was required to either drive in a runner or advance one. This is something that is going to be missed considering the lineup that has been top-15 in highest K% two of the last three seasons.

Chicago Cubs: Hard to find a more likable ballplayer than Ben Zobrist.

Having excellent players on the team is great to have for both the team and the fans. This is something that cannot be measured with metrics and in-depth analysis. Cubs players and front office personnel made it clear last year how much they value him as a person when he was away.

Need a reminder of how awesome Zobrist has been?

This guy sat outside his home after the World Series and signed autographs for hundreds of fans. He volunteered to sign for fans when he was rehabbing last year in the minors. He drove over 350 miles to get to an autograph event after his flight was canceled.

He went to Joe Maddon and put the team before him even to the point saying others deserved to play over him. One of the very best stories was at Cubs Convention a few years ago telling the security guard who said not pictures with Zobrist that they could take photos if they want and then praying with a woman who had Parkinson’s disease. These are just a few examples.

There is no real need to justify why one would miss this kind of person on their team. It is easy to imagine the players themselves will miss just having him around. It’s probably like seeing a close family or friend move away and not being able to see them on a regular basis anymore.

The Chicago Cubs and their fans were so lucky to have Ben Zobrist for those four seasons. 2016 does not end in a World Series win without him. He treated the fans so well and was a role model for them and his teammates. Just beyond his personality, he was a heck of a baseball player. The team is going to miss him.