Jason Giambi

Former MLB first baseman and designated hitter, 2000 AL MVP, five-time All-Star.

Jason Gilbert Giambi (; born January 8, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, which began in 1995, Giambi played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, and Cleveland Indians. He is the older brother of the late MLB player Jeremy Giambi. Giambi was the American League (AL) MVP in 2000 while with the Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star, who led the AL in walks three times; in on-base percentage three times; and in doubles and slugging percentage once each; he also won the Silver Slugger Award twice. Giambi has publicly apologized for using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Quick Facts

Position: First baseman; Designated hitter
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Born: 8 January 1971
Birthplace: West Covina, California, U.S.
Debutleague: MLB
Debutdate: May 8
Debutyear: 1995

Lore & Background

Jason Gilbert Giambi was born on January 8, 1971, in West Covina, California. He attended Sacred Heart Private Catholic School in Covina, California, then South Hills High School in West Covina, where he was a three-sport standout. He batted .386 during his three years of varsity baseball, leading his team to the state finals as a senior. He was voted MVP in both baseball and basketball. In American football, he was an All-League quarterback. Giambi was selected in the 43rd round (1,117th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1989 MLB draft. He did not sign and went on to attend Cal State Long Beach, where he played college baseball for the Long Beach State 49ers. He also played collegiate summer baseball for the Alaska Goldpanners. The Oakland Athletics selected Giambi in the second round (58th overall) of the 1992 MLB draft. He started his career that year with the short-season Single-A Southern Oregon A's, hitting .317 in 13 games. He was a member of the fourth place United States national baseball team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Giambi made his major league debut with the Athletics in 1995. He assumed the fulltime first base job upon the trade of Mark McGwire to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1997. In 1997 Giambi established the team's longest hitting streak since it had moved to Oakland in 1968, at 25 games. Giambi led the team in 1998 with 27 home runs, 110 runs batted in and a .295 batting average. In 1999, he hit .315 with 33 homers, 105 walks (second in the league), and 123 RBIs (sixth). He came in eighth in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting. Giambi hit two home runs in Oakland's 2000 season opener on April 3, the first Athletics player to ever do so. In the 2000 season, he led the league in on-base percentage (.476; leading the majors) and walks (137; a personal high and still the most walks in the AL since 1991). He hit .333 (seventh in the league) with 43 homers (second; a career high), 137 RBIs (fourth; a career high), 108 runs (10th), and a .647 slugging percentage (third). Giambi narrowly won the American League Most Valuable Player Award over Frank Thomas. His 2001 season was nearly identical. He led the league for the second year in a row in both on-base percentage (.477; a career best, and still the highest OBP in the AL since 1995) and walks (129).

Reader's Guide

Giambi was a five-time All-Star and the 2000 AL MVP. He led the AL in walks three times (2000, 2001, 2003) and in on-base percentage three times (2000, 2001, 2005). He also led the league in slugging percentage once (2001) and in doubles once (2001). He won the Silver Slugger Award twice (2001, 2002). He was named AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2005.