Jason Giambi

Jason Gilbert Giambi was born on January 8, 1971, in West Covina, California. He played first base and designated hitter in Major League Baseball from 1995 onward, suiting up for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, and Cleveland Indians. His younger brother, Jeremy Giambi, also played in the majors. In 2000, while with Oakland, Giambi was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. Over his career, he made five All-Star teams, led the AL in walks four times, topped the league in on-base percentage three times, and once led in doubles and slugging percentage. He also won two Silver Slugger Awards. Giambi later publicly apologized for using performance-enhancing drugs during his playing days.

Giambi grew up in West Covina, attending Sacred Heart Private Catholic School and then South Hills High School, where he excelled in three sports. On the baseball diamond, he hit .386 over three varsity seasons and led his team to the state finals as a senior. His high school roster included his brother Jeremy and three future big leaguers: Shawn Wooten, Aaron Small, and Cory Lidle. Giambi was named MVP in both baseball and basketball, and he played quarterback on the football team, earning All-League honors. The Milwaukee Brewers picked him in the 43rd round of the 1989 draft, but he chose not to sign and instead enrolled at Cal State Long Beach. There, he played college baseball for the 49ers and also spent a summer with the Alaska Goldpanners in the Alaska Baseball League.

The Oakland Athletics selected Giambi in the second round of the 1992 draft. He began his pro career that year with the short-season Single-A Southern Oregon A’s, hitting .317 in 13 games. He also played for the fourth-place U.S. national team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After a spring training invitation in 1993, he spent that season with the Modesto A’s, and later played for the Huntsville Stars and the Kauai Emeralds. Giambi debuted in the majors with Oakland in 1995, initially seeing time at outfield, third base, and first base. When Mark McGwire was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997, Giambi took over as the everyday first baseman. That same year, he put together a 25-game hitting streak, the longest for the franchise since its move to Oakland in 1968.

In 1998, Giambi led the Athletics with 27 home runs, 110 RBIs, and a .295 average. The following season, he hit .315 with 33 homers, 105 walks, and 123 RBIs, finishing eighth in MVP voting. On April 3, 2000, he became the first Oakland player to hit two home runs on Opening Day. That year, he led the AL in on-base percentage (.476) and walks (137), while hitting .333 with 43 homers, 137 RBIs, and a .647 slugging percentage.

He narrowly beat out Frank Thomas for the AL MVP Award. In 2001, Giambi again led the league in on-base percentage (.477) and walks (129), and also topped the AL in slugging (.660), doubles (47), times on base (320), and extra-base hits (87). He batted .342 with 38 homers, 109 runs, and 120 RBIs, finishing second in MVP voting to Ichiro Suzuki and winning a Silver Slugger. Both years, Oakland reached the postseason but lost to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.

After the 2001 season, Giambi signed a seven-year, $120 million contract with the Yankees. Following team rules, he cut his long hair and shaved his goatee. The move angered many Athletics fans, who felt betrayed; when the Yankees visited Oakland, Giambi became a target of their wrath. In a May 14, 2005 game, a fan threw a beer at him as he returned to the dugout. On the field, Giambi continued to produce. In 2002, he led the AL in times on base (300), finished second in walks (109), and posted a .435 OBP, 41 homers, 120 runs, a .598 slugging percentage, 122 RBIs, and a .314 average. He placed fifth in MVP voting and earned another Silver Slugger. That season also featured a walk-off grand slam in a rain-soaked extra-inning game against the Twins. In 2003, despite a .250 average, he led the league in walks (129) and hit-by-pitches (21), posted a .412 OBP, and hit 41 homers with 107 RBIs.