Ben Zobrist Quotes

I see the game too slow from second base. That's why I like to play more short.

We were in Philadelphia when Manager Pat shifted me from third to short, and right off the bat, I knew I had found my dish. Footwork was more a part of the new position than it had been at third. I suddenly felt I had sprouted wings. A world of new possibilities opened for me.

For me, fielding is everything - it is a passion that comes from within. You can get a bad ball while you bat, and your bowling may not always be up there, but you are completely in control of how well you field.

I played second base.

The shortstop is a perfectly conditioned athlete. You're running out on relays all the time. You're covering second base. On every pitch, you're moving.

Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.

I still feel like I can play defense at first base at a very high level.

When the ball was hit, my first reaction as a shortstop was always go in the direction of the ball. You can't do that at first base. You go too far in that direction, and it's hard to scurry back and be ready to pick the throw.

I think the more you practise batting, follow the drills, the better you get.

I feel like I've improved immensely in terms of my defending, not only in one-versus-ones but also with my positioning.

I want to meet Brandon Crawford and just pick his brain and figure out what helps him out on the defensive side of the ball.

My position in football was cornerback, and what your job is as a cornerback is to read the person that's in front of you - read their body language and anticipate what's going to happen next.

A lot of people say that you go to the outfield and just run and go get a ball, but it's still not that easy.

You have to create a habit of finding the right positions and knowing where the ball's going to bounce to.

I try to learn from Falcao, and Manu Riviere as well - his movement is excellent - it's really good for me. I need to work on my movement and my finishing, but seeing these guys on a regular basis gives me a benchmark.

I might have a great game hitting, but if I'm not having a great game fielding, if I feel like I let a guy get an extra base that I could have stopped, that's something I've got to do better, got to get better at.

I could get better at baserunning.

We used to do a lot of kick-catch work with Carlton, and it really taught us some great skills catching above our heads, off our chest. Those things I've carried throughout my career and I'm really thankful I got the opportunity to learn that.

It's true that I went to dance classes as a young boy, and it did improve my feet, but I don't believe that it was solely dancing that helped my footwork.

Outfield to infield is the most jarring because in the outfield, you have much more time to throw.

I think my one-on-one defense is pretty good.

I think I just need more time to refine my skills, and I can be a dominant pass rusher.

I think, as a fighter, I kept improving. My movements improved, my accuracy improved.

Pass-rushers with boxing or kickboxing go hand-in-hand. You've got to have fast, sharp hands and be straight down the middle, because linemen are coming off and you have to be able to pop their hands down.

I've got a good first step and things of that nature. So it's just about using your body to make the defense play at your tempo and react to you.