The proven winners
Ben Zobrist's stop at shortstop was short after the Astros traded him to the Rays in 2006. He played 51 games there his rookie year for rookie manager Joe Maddon and 28 more the next season.
After that, Maddon decided Zobrist should expand his defensive resume. So he played him everywhere except first base, pitcher and catcher.
“He's a nice shortstop; he was fine,” Maddon said.
But he wasn't extraordinary in terms of range or tools.
Because Zobrist is a switch hitter, Maddon was intent on finding ways to get him into games.
“We just thought by giving him multiple positions, that was his best avenue to get to the major leagues,” Maddon said. “Of course the player has to concede and say, ‘I'm on board. I can do this,' and he did.”
And he continues to do for the Cubs — whether in the field or in the batting order — after winning the World Series with the Royals last season.
The Eureka, Ill., native has played every position in his career except pitcher and catcher. He has spent the most time at second base, with 707 regular-season games there. Right field is his second-most familiar position with 327 appearances.
Zobrist said he told the Cubs before he signed a four-year, $56 million deal in December that “whatever is best for the team, I'd be willing to do.” Now he's proving that again in the postseason as he sacrifices for the sake of the team.
He also has batted in every spot in the order. Maddon said a stint in the minor leagues early in Zobrist's career resulted in a changed left-handed-batting stance, which resulted in more power.
Zobrist was in the third spot for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, a move Maddon made to try to shake up a sleepy middle of the order. He went 0-for-4.
“I just thought rearranging the chairs a little bit might help,” Maddon said. “Zobrist, again, you're talking about a defensive utility; offensively too. You could put him anywhere and he's good.”
Zobrist has been getting better with age, something that began four or five years ago, Cubs President Theo Epstein said.
“It's pretty amazing to see a guy turning 35 continuing to get better doing it the right way,” Epstein said earlier this season. “He's everything we asked for in terms of really consistent professional at-bats, playing the game hard, being a great teammate, helping us win in so many different ways. He has been phenomenal.”
John Lackey's knack for performing at his best in big games might be as important as any postseason factor for the Cubs.
“A lot of people don't realize who John Lackey is and has been over the past few years,” said Giants right-hander Jake Peavy, who watched his former teammate pitch the sixth and clinching game of the 2013 World Series for the Red Sox.
“John Lackey was St. Louis' No. 1 guy (in 2015), the guy they leaned on. We would have been down 2-1 (in the 2013 American League Championship Series), but that same John Lackey beat Justin Verlander in Detroit. You know what those Detroit teams were made of. And you've done something to beat them 1-0 on the road.”
Lackey, 37, has been accustomed to the big stage dating to his rookie year with the Angels, when he pitched five innings of one-run ball to beat the Giants in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series and give Joe Maddon — then an Angels coach — a bonus large enough to help pay for his daughter's wedding. Lackey has acknowledged his good fortune to pitch on contending teams and how precious those moments are.
“I was one of only a few rookies when I came up,” Lackey said. “It's different now. The expectation level is high, which I've been used to for my whole career. Luckily, I've been on a lot of good teams. It's something we've embraced.”
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Lackey is in better shape now than he was during his first four seasons, Maddon said.
“He's the same good friend with the same kind of intensity and edginess,” Maddon said. “His velocity came back post-surgery (in 2012). I see 83 to 84 mph on the breaking ball. I think it was 82 when I had him in 2002. His fastball cut more back then, but it's almost identical to now.”
It's not uncommon for Lackey to show emotion on the mound, as he did when rookie Albert Almora Jr. didn't hit the cutoff man in a June game and when Christian Bethancourt admired a home run in a 1-0 loss to the Padres in May.
“He's your best teammate ever,” Maddon said. “He's just got an edge when he plays. And if you know that and accept that, then you can cohabitate with him well.”
Said catcher David Ross: “Some people can play this game emotionless. I don't think he's one of those guys. He expects perfection from himself — and greatness out of himself and his teammates.
“He's all about whatever the team is about. If we're going to a team dinner, he's in. If he needs to buy, he'll buy. He's one of those guys you can count on the whole year, and those guys are hard to find.”
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