Press Releases
August 04, 2008
For Immediate Release
IL Office
(614) 791-9300
ZOBRIST WINS IL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The International League announced today that Durham infielder Ben Zobrist has been named the League's Batter and Pitcher-of-the-Week for the period from July 28-August 3. Zobrist is the second Bull to be so honored in 2008 (Chris Richard, June 30-July 6).
Durham infielder Ben Zobrist went on a tear this week to the tune of a .583 batting average, tops in the International League by more than .100 points. He also led the circuit with 14 hits and a .630 on-base percentage while finishing 2nd with a .833 slugging percentage. After going 1-4 over his first two games of the week, Zobrist exploded for 12 hits in his next four contests, including two home runs and six RBI. The surge helped the Bulls extend their lead in the IL South to 8.0 games over Charlotte, the largest cushion of any division leader in the League. Zobrist, who has played 23 games with the Tampa Bay Rays this year (hitting .230), raised his Triple-A batting average from .209 to .343 this week, now having played 19 games with the Bulls. He also scored seven runs and swiped two bases this week.
27-year-old Ben Zobrist has been plagued by injuries this season, missing nearly eight weeks during two separate stints on the DL. He is in his fifth year as a professional player, having come to Tampa Bay in the 2006 trade that sent Aubrey Huff to Houston. He has hit .296 in 98 games with Durham since joining the organization. Zobrist is a native of Eureka, Illinois.
