Ben Zobrist : The Chicago Cubs Hit that Crushed the Curse
Two-time World Series champion and MLB veteran Ben Zobrist sat down for a candid conversation on what it truly means to be prepared not just physically, but mentally and emotionally and how those principles apply far beyond the baseball diamond.
Whether you're an athlete, a parent, a coach, or a professional chasing your own version of peak performance, this episode is packed with actionable insights on clutch moments, resilience, emotional intelligence, and building a reputation that speaks for itself.
What Does It Mean to Be Prepared for Pressure?
When asked about preparation and pressure, Zobrist immediately pointed inward. While most people focus on the external demands of career and daily life, he challenges us to ask a deeper question:
"Are you doing your own internal work?"
Zobrist reflected that despite achieving remarkable things on the field, he had significant internal work to do and he didn't fully realize the depth of that need until the latter stages of his career. His message to adults, parents, and leaders is clear: external productivity isn't enough. True preparation requires tending to your mental and emotional health with the same discipline you bring to your professional responsibilities.
Key Takeaway: You can't pour from an empty cup. Doing your own internal work is the foundation of sustainable high performance.
Coaching the Next Generation: Emotional Intelligence Is the New Frontier
One of the most insightful parts of the conversation centered on coaching kids in today's world. Zobrist was refreshingly honest he even admitted to lecturing his own children on the way to school that morning. But his awareness of generational differences is striking.
Today's youth face pressures that previous generations simply didn't:
- Constant social media comparison from an early age
- Statistics and performance data tracked since childhood
- A 24/7 digital environment that amplifies anxiety and comparison
Because of this, Zobrist argues that emotional intelligence the ability to manage and regulate one's own emotions is "the next frontier in performance" for young athletes. Yelling and tough-love tactics that worked for prior generations often backfire today. Instead, building trust, defining roles clearly, and offering encouragement are the keys to unlocking a young person's potential.
Key Takeaway: Model emotional courage for your kids. When they see you challenging yourself, failing, and bouncing back, they learn that it's safe to do the same.
The Difference Between Being Prepared and Being Clutch
As a two-time World Series champion, Zobrist has lived the difference between preparation and clutch performance and he articulates it brilliantly.
Being prepared means knowing your opponent, understanding what scenarios might unfold, and having a plan. But being clutch is something else entirely it's the ability to silence distractions and amplify the right details in the heat of the moment.
"It's silencing certain things and amplifying others," Zobrist explained. In his most iconic at-bats, he wasn't focused on the crowd, the umpire's last call, or even the weight of the moment. He was locked in on one finite detail: the spin of the ball.
This principle applies directly to any high-stakes situation a boardroom presentation, a critical conversation, or a championship game. The ability to narrow your focus to what truly matters, and block out everything else, is a trainable skill.
Key Takeaway: Practice narrowing your focus. Identify the one finite detail that matters most in your high-pressure moments and train yourself to return to it.
Champion Forward: Building Emotional Intelligence Before It's Needed
After his playing career, Zobrist founded Champion Forward, a program designed to help athletes, parents, and coaches build emotional intelligence through conversation not crisis.
The genesis? His own experience with depression following the heights of World Series success. Reaching the top of Mount Everest, he explained, is not a place you can live. When the expectations rise and the emotional tools aren't there to manage the climb back down, the fall can be devastating.
Champion Forward aims to normalize conversations about mental health in the locker room before and after the game so athletes can be fully present and perform heroically in the moment, and then process what happened like healthy human beings afterward.
"The biggest antidote to mental and emotional challenges is quality human connection." Connection with yourself, with loved ones, and with your faith, these are the anchors that build true resilience." - Ben Zobrist
Key Takeaway: Don't wait for a crisis to build emotional intelligence. Start the conversations early with your team, your family, and yourself.
Managing the Valley: How to Bounce Back After Peaks and Failures
14 years in the major leagues means navigating a lot of valleys. Zobrist shared his philosophy for staying grounded through the inevitable ups and downs:
- Intentionally step into roles where you feel weak or vulnerable. Picking up a new hobby at 44 is uncomfortable and that's the point. When kids see adults struggling and growing, they learn that failure is normal.
- Be a star in one thing? Go do something where you're not the star. Versatility and humility are built in the uncomfortable spaces.
- Vulnerability is a superpower. Zobrist's openness about his own mental health journey has given others permission to speak up and seek help and to realize that you can struggle and still perform at the highest level.
Key Takeaway: Leaning into weakness is not a detour from success, it's often the fastest path to it.
The 2016 World Series: What Ben Zobrist Would Change
No conversation with Ben Zobrist is complete without revisiting that night in 2016 — Game 7, 10th inning, tied game, and a hit that ended the Chicago Cubs' 108-year World Series drought(Fun fact: For 108 years, the Chicago Cubs were haunted by the Curse of the Billy Goat, a legendary drought that turned generations of loyal fans into believers in heartbreak.)
When asked what he'd change, Zobrist didn't mention the at-bat itself. Instead, he wished he had recorded the locker room speech by teammate Jason Heyward during the rain delay a spontaneous, rallying moment where the team stripped away everything external and reminded each other: "What we believe in this room is what matters."
It's a powerful reminder that the most clutch moments aren't always on the field. Sometimes they happen in a dungeon locker room between teammates, in the most human of ways.
NIL and the Future of Baseball: Team First in an Individual World
Weighing in on the hot-button topic of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), Zobrist offered a nuanced perspective from his current work with college athletes.
His concern: today's prospects are being "professionalized" before they reach professional baseball. They arrive with personal coaches, personal brands, and deeply individualized identities, making it harder to embrace the team-first mentality that winning requires.
Zobrist's advice to young athletes navigating NIL: accept the role that is needed, not just the one you want. That willingness to sacrifice personal preference for the good of the team is exactly what builds the kind of reputation that gets you mentioned by team owners years after you've played.
🎧 Hear Ben's full story on the SuperFan Diaries Podcast — where passion meets the game.
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