Zorilla has made the most of his chances

When Ben Zobrist first came up with the Rays, his swing was so meek some of his teammates couldn't keep their observations to themselves.

"Two years ago, he's taking batting practice and the guys would kid him," recalled Don Zimmer, the Rays senior adviser. "They'd say, 'Swing the bat; you might hit one hard enough to bruise the ball.'

"Look at him now."

Now, Zobrist is "Zorilla," the power-hitting super utility player who's easily the biggest surprise among the five players who will represent the Rays in tonight's All-Star Game at Busch Stadium.

After hitting only 22 home runs in his first four seasons of pro ball (three in the majors), a stronger and more fluid Zobrist belted 12 in a part-time role last year. He has hit 17 this year in 82 fewer plate appearances than teammate Carlos Pena, who leads the American League with 24.

What's more, Zobrist ranks second in the AL behind Minnesota's Joe Mauer in slugging percentage at .598 and OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) at 1.012. He's batting .297, and his team-leading .414 on-base percentage is third in the AL.

Never mind that Zobrist has provided all that offense - the 17 home runs are third most in the majors for a switch-hitter, and three came in pinch-hit situations - while starting at six different positions. That's something no All-Star selection has done since 1954.

Carl Crawford, one of the Rays' other All-Stars, confirmed the teasing story with a laugh Monday.

"Yeah, that's the truth," the left fielder said. "He wasn't hitting the ball as hard as he was, and he got teased a little bit. But he definitely turned that around."

Peter Gammons, the ESPN baseball analyst, gives Zobrist his nod as first-half MVP for the job he's done filling in for injured second baseman Akinori Iwamura over the past 21/2 months and calls him the "best story in baseball."

"I mean he plays seven positions, and he plays them well," Gammons said. "He nearly leads the league in OPS. It's absolutely amazing."

Among those surprised by Zobrist's power surge is Jason Miller, Zobrist's best friend growing up in Eureka, Ill.

Miller, also Zobrist's teammate in high school and briefly at Olivet Nazarene University, says Zobrist found quick success in baseball, basketball, cross country and practically anything else he tried athletically.

"His senior year, he decided to play football," Miller recalled. "I think he broke some kind of receiving record."

But Zobrist, Miller says, was never a power hitter.

"All the way through his high school senior year, he was probably 5-10, 5-11 and 160 pounds," Miller said. "He didn't hit home runs ever - I think he may have had two. He'd get his base hits and steal - he was fast for sure - but he didn't hit for power."

He says Zobrist constantly worked on hitting, often foregoing a weekend night out with his buddies to spend more time in the batting cage.

In seemingly another life, Zobrist was drafted in the sixth round out of Dallas Baptist by the Astros in 2004. The Rays got him in a 2006 trade that also brought pitcher Mitch Talbot for third baseman Aubrey Huff, and because they didn't have much else, they rushed him to the majors.

Though a career .318 hitter in the minors, Zobrist hit only .224 and .155, respectively, his first two times up in the majors. But the Rays liked him for his versatility and on-base percentage and decided before the 2008 season to develop him for a "super utility" infielder/outfielder role.

The turning point was an 11-game stint at Triple-A Durham last summer in which Zobrist went 20-for-37 with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs.

"I was thinking, 'Wow, where's this coming from?'" Durham manager Charlie Montoyo recalled of Zobrist's emergence last year. "That was awesome to see, because he had always hit, he just hadn't hit with that much power. All of a sudden, we had a new guy here."

Zobrist continues to credit his offseason work in Franklin, Tenn., and the changes he made to his swing before 2008 after working with Nashville "swing mechanic" Jaime Cevallos, who is working on a book he says will outline his principles.

There's no question that the 6-3 Zobrist is stronger.

"I lifted weights, worked hard and worked on my core strength a lot," Zobrist said. "One of my buddies in Nashville, certified trainer Josh Costello, made sure I was doing everything with integrity and consistent in the offseason. It's hard in the offseason because there's nobody right there telling you got to be."

Rays manager Joe Maddon, also the AL All-Star team skipper, has taken aim at glamorizing the "S.U." position and even suggested Monday it might be included on the All-Star team ballot one day.

Zobrist continues to embrace it, even as he is holding down a regular job at second base for the injured Iwamura.

"I just look at it as, it only gives our team and Joe more flexibility," he said. "It only improves my career, gives me more opportunities - maybe down the road. I like playing one position, because I get to see the different nuances. At the same time, I want to stay flexible, because if that helps us win, I like doing it."