Jason Giambi: the brilliant Major League Baseball veteran
Jason Gilbert Giambi, the current Colorado Rockies number 23, has been a class act throughout his career spanning over 16 years. Born on January 8, 1971, he bats left-handed and stands 6ft 3in weighing 240 lbs.
Giambi played baseball at Long Beach State University before he was drafted in by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft. His career took off with Southern Oregon A’s, a single A team before making his Major League
debut for the Oakland Athletics in 1995.
Jason established himself as a player over the years after the initial teething problems. His home-runs increased each season leading the team with 27 home-runs in 1998. He improved his personal record to 33 homers in 1999 and 105 walks, which were the second
highest in the League.
The new millennium proved fruitful for Giambi as he amassed 43 home-runs in 2000, a personal best for him and second highest in the League. He went on to complete 137 walks in the same year which continue to be a record for most walks in the American League
since 1991. His 108 runs in the year, the tenth highest in the season and a third-highest slugging percentage in the league of .647 righteously earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 2000.
There was no stopping Giambi at his stint with the A’s. He improved his slugging percentage to .660 and no other person could match this feat in the League. His 129 walks in the year, although lower than his personal best of 137, were just too high for other
players to beat. This earned him a Silver Slugger Award for the first time in his career.
The long-haired player moved on in his career and signed a tremendous $120-million seven-year deal on December 13, 2001 with the New York Yankees. The team leadership at the A’s faced a lot of criticism by the fans for his move.
During his initial time at the Yankees, he continued smashing at a high percentage of .598. He completed 109 walks and managed 122 runs to finish fifth in the League. He belted 41 home-runs in 2002, finishing fourth overall. Giambi won the Silver Slugger
Award for the second year running.
In 2003, Giambi was leading the league in walks for the third consecutive year with 129. Home-runs continued flowing in for Giambi as he amassed 41 in the year. Although his batting average dipped in 2003, he shifted gears and silenced his critics with his
vintage right-handed pitching. Giambi struck-out 140 batters in the season and topped the league in strike-outs.
He was diagnosed with a mild tumor and was subsequently placed on the disabled list only to return in September and finish the season with 12 home-runs in 2004.
Giambi’s career came to a halt and apart from the 300-home-run completion milestone in 2005, there was less to cheer about.
Injury took the better of Giambi in 2007 and his numbers came down dramatically. 2008 was no better either and he had been confined to the role of a designated hitter. The Yankees called it a day for Giambi for the 2009 season.
The pinch hitter returned to his native Oakland side in January 2009 but his stay with the A’s was short-lived and he was released by the A’s in August of the same year. Managing his 400th home-run in May, Giambi had little to cheer about given
his batting average rated the lowest in MLB and his slugging, Giambi’s powerhouse, rated the fourth lowest.
The Colorado Rockies were quick to sign the veteran in their Triple-A affiliate the Springs Sky Sox. His return to powerful hitting ways made him very popular with the fans and he made his first appearance as soon as September 1, 2009.
Giambi’s latest feat came against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 19, 2011, when he scored three homers in the same game. He became the second oldest player to achieve this in the Majors.
His 16 years in the game have been entertaining to all. His massive hits make him an instant hero among the fans. At the age of 40, he has little left to prove and his exit will surely be missed among his many fans and the teams in baseball.
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