SS Ben Zobrist, 2B Ben Zobrist and 1B Ben Zobrist

Most teams have 6 to 8 starting pitchers listed on their official depth charts at this early point in the 2013 MLB offseason, but few teams list one player as a starter at three locations on the field. And that is because few teams — only one, as far as league records show — have Ben Zobrist on their roster:

Here is the team’s projected lineup:

1. LF Desmond Jennings
2. SS Ben Zobrist
3. 1B Ben Zobrist
4. 3B Evan Longoria
5. 2B Ben Zobrist
6. RF Matt Joyce
7. DH Ben Francisco
8. C Jose Molina
9. CF Sam Fuld

The NotGraphs team contact the MLB front office to get their impressions of Joe Maddon’s latest scheming. G.R. Palloncino, Assistant Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and direct subordinate of Joe Torre, told us that, “[Maddon] has not officially submitted or indicated any intentions to Bugs-Bunny his lineup, [but] precedent does allow for a number of roster peculiarities.”

When asked directly if the league would disallow the Rays from using ghost runners in the event Ben Zobrist gets a base hit immediately before he has to bat again, Palloncino offered a coy smile and said, “Ain’t no rules says a dog can’t play basketball.”