Jeremy Giambi, a former MLB player who spent two and a half seasons with the Oakland Athletics, died Wednesday at age 47.
Giambi, born in San Jose, died at his parents’ home in Southern California, agent Joel Wolfe told reporters. No cause of death was given. Giambi played six MLB seasons from 1998 to 2003 with the Kansas City Royals, A’s, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.
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“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi,” the A’s said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason and his family and friends.”
We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi. We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/sBSEyRb2z4
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) February 9, 2022
Jeremy joined his older brother Jason in Oakland following a 2000 trade from the Royals and had a breakthrough season in 2001, batting .283 with 12 home runs and an OPS of .761. Only Jason, who was second in the MVP voting that season, had a higher OPS on the A’s that season than his little brother.
Longtime A’s executive Billy Beane said Giambi was ahead of his time as a hitter because of his feel for the strike zone and plate discipline.
“He was an underrated player that would have been appreciated far greater today than he was then,” Beane said.
Hitting primarily second or third in the lineup in 2001, Giambi became a key cog in what Beane calls the best A’s team he had during his tenure as general manager and president of baseball operations.
Giambi also kept the team loose during rougher stretches — which got some blowback, but made him a beloved teammate.
“He could take a teasing and give it back,” Beane said. “It’s a tough shadow when your brother is Jason Giambi and he wore that with pride. He was well-liked and fun loving.”
Longtime A’s equipment manager Steve Vucinich remembers Giambi being a leader in getting remote-controlled cars for the clubhouse in 2001. Before games the team would race them around the Oakland Coliseum dirt.
As Vucinich put it, his fun-loving attitude might’ve contributed to his shorter career. No, he never danced on the table after a brutal loss, as was portrayed in the movie “Moneyball.” But he had fun nonetheless.
“Some guys can party and play and some guys can’t,” he said. “And Jeremy couldn’t party and play.”
He also is perhaps best known for being called out, not sliding, on Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter’s flip to home plate during Game 3 of the ALDS in 2001. A play that shifted the course of the series.
“I know how hard Jeremy played every single day,” Art Howe, Giambi’s manager with the A’s, told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I know our fans remember him for that non-slide, but I think it’s a shame anyone even thinks about that. He was a good kid, he was well liked, and he gave me everything.”
The A’s traded Jeremy to the Phillies in May of 2002. He played his final season with the Red Sox in 2003, retiring for good in 2005 at age 30 after brief stints in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox minor league systems.
Pitcher Barry Zito, Giambi’s former teammate with Oakland, also told Slusser of the Chronicle:
“I am completely shocked by the news about Jeremy. He was an incredibly loving human being with a very soft heart and it was evident to us as his teammates that he had some deeper battles going on.
“I hope this can be a wake up call for people out there to not go at it alone and for families and friends to trust their intuition when they feel somebody close to them needs help. God bless Jeremy and his family in this difficult time.”
During a tumultuous year off the field in 2001, Giambi was cited for marijuana possession at the Las Vegas airport. In 2003, he and his brother testified for the Balco grand jury for using steroids.
Giambi’s path to MLB had far more obstacles than his brother — who won league MVP in 2000. The younger Giambi was cut as a sophomore at South Hills High School in West Covina and walked on at Cal State Fullerton. Giambi was drafted in the 44th round as a junior by the Detroit Tigers, but didn’t sign. The Royals drafted him in the 1996 draft’s sixth round.
Giambi tore through Kansas City system, displaying a sweet left-handed swing and power and plate discipline combination similar to his older brother, and was in the majors less than two years after was drafted.
“This is devastating news,” South Hills baseball coach Darren Murphy told the Southern California News Group. “Jeremy was a big supporter of our program and now we will be here to support the family at this difficult time.”
Before his death, Giambi had been serving as a hitting instructor in Southern California at PFA Baseball, a renowned baseball academy. It was there that Giambi provided lessons to youngsters as part of his “Jeremy Giambi Baseball” company.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tyler Wells, who works out at the spacious PFA Baseball facility in Montclair, tweeted about how much Giambi meant to him.
“There aren’t many guys in the world like Jeremy Giambi. What an amazing soul we lost today. Thank you for all the advice and great conversations in the compound. #RIP #PFAfamilyforlife,” Wells tweeted.
Some of Giambi’s former teammates shared their condolences on social media.
“So saddened to hear the news about Jeremy Giambi. Gone way too soon,” tweeted former A’s star Jermaine Dye, who played with Jeremy in both Kansas City and Oakland.
So saddened to hear the news about Jeremy Giambi. Gone way to soon. #RIP
— Jermaine Dye (@JermaineDye) February 10, 2022
Former MLB pitcher Brett Myers, a teammate of Giambi’s with the Phillies, shared his condolences on Twitter:
“You were a great teammate and a fun guy to have in the clubhouse! My prayers go out to the family and friends!”
RIP Jeremy Giambi! Saddened and shocked to here of the passing of my former teammate! U were a great teammate and a fun guy to have in the clubhouse! My prayers go out to the family and friends! 🙏🏻
— 🇺🇸BRETT MYERS MUSIC🇺🇸 (@BackWoodRebel39) February 10, 2022
He is survived by his brother, Jason, his sister, Julie, and his mother, Jeanne.
Staff writers Laurence Miedema and Jon Becker contributed to this report.
