Not a lot of meat on this just yet, but I think it would be wonderful to see Ben Zobrist back in the organization in some kind of semi-official way.
According to Cubs President Jed Hoyer, former Cub – and World Series MVP! – Ben Zobrist has already served in some unofficial roles with the club, and more could be coming:
After a long career, Zobrist may not yet be ready to transition into a full-time coaching role, but if you can get him to camp as a guest? You’d love to have a guy like him around the young players, what with his experience on so many winning teams, in so many different roles. He was always a veteran leader on the Cubs – you could see it in how he carried himself on the field, and also how he spoke publicly – and although being an instructor isn’t quite the same thing, it’s still quite useful.
Hopefully we see more of Zobrist around the Cubs soon. He could be the Spring Training instructor MVP or something. Or super utility instructor.
More from Hoyer at NBC Sports Chicago:
“We haven’t talked about a specific role, but I’d love to have him around spring training and have him around the guys,” Hoyer said, “because I do think it is a perspective and a career, and a work ethic, that I think is unique ….
“He’s got a real fresh perspective on baseball, for a lot of reasons,” Hoyer added. “His versatility gives him a really fresh perspective. He was a little bit of an older prospect, a little bit more self-made than some guys; that’s a really nice perspective. And he was a switch-hitter. And I don’t think the game came as easy to him as some; he really grinded and prepared unbelievably well. I think there’s a lot of value in having him around.”