The Chicago Cubs World Series MVP, Ben Zobrist. That is how he was carried off the field last November as the Cubs snapped their 108-year curse. The MVP of the World Series. Earlier that year, Ben signed a four-year, $56 million contract to play for the Cubs. Having turned down more lucrative deals, Ben had faith that accepting the deal to play in his home state would pay off. It paid off almost as well as a $50 birthday present he received as a high school senior.
What’s $50 dollars to a multi-millionaire with perhaps an even more famous wife? Well, $50 is responsible for everything in Ben’s baseball career. Every hit, every catch, every postseason moment, and yes – a World Series MVP.
Ben was a good high school baseball player, but perhaps an even better basketball player. Even so, there were literally no scouts looking at him, or colleges wanting to hand over a contract. With no hopes to continue to play baseball, Ben was all set to attend Calvary Bible College, like his father before him. Ben’s father, Tom, was a pastor at Liberty Bible Church in Eureka, IL. and Ben would likely follow in his footsteps. Well, that was until a suggestion to attend a tryout in nearby Brimfield.
It would cost $50 for Ben to attend the camp, a price tag that proved too steep for Tom Zobrist. Even Ben’s mom, Cindi, thought $50 was way too much for them to spend, but Ben wanted that last opportunity to play baseball with his friends.
So the suggestion came to spend the $50 his grandparents gave him for his birthday. Tom remembered, “ ‘Go ahead; it’s your money,’ ” assuming it would end up being wasted money.
See, the Zobrist’s are small-town people and lived a very small town life. The thought of spending $50 on a whim was dumbfounded. There was a way things happened, you go to school, attend college, and follow in your father’s footsteps. So spending $50 with no guaranteed return was something that you just didn’t do.
But Ben went, and soon after the calls started rolling in. Soon after that, Ben and his family had new choices they needed to make for his future. The decisions were overwhelming, but there may have been a ‘spiritual’ intervention. The next Sunday, after the camp, Ben attended a church conference. The message, “Keeping the door of your life open to what God may want you to do, regardless of what it is.”
Ben now knew his baseball story wasn’t over just yet, and he chose to attend Olivet Nazarene University and play in the NAIA. It wasn’t a decision that sat well with his mom, who feared “other influences” and perhaps stepping away from “God’s plan.” But Tom believed Ben had matured enough to handle himself when away.
Ben would play three years at Olivet until he eventually transfers to Dallas Baptist, because, “I wanted to know how good I was,” said Ben. He would soon find out how good he was, getting the opportunity to now play against Big 12 schools. as he was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 6th round
Ben impressed. He impressed so much that the Houston Astros drafted him in 2004. Two short years later, Houston sent him to Tampa Bay. It is here Ben became the most well-known known utility player in the game playing for Joe Maddon. Without an everyday position, Ben led the American League in WAR during the 2011 season and became well-known for his versatility in the 2008 World Series.
Zobrist played for the Rays until 2015, when he was traded to the Oakland A’s. At the deadline, Zo was traded to the Kansas City Royals. He would win his first World Series in Kansas City. That following winter Ben signed to play for the Chicago Cubs. He officially turned a $50 birthday gift into a $56 million payday.
It isn’t just about the money for Ben. Even the best poker players in the world couldn’t pull off what he did with that buy-in.
*Sources include; Business Insider, Kansas City Star, Beyond the Ultimate
