Age was just a number for Jason Giambi, as he continued to defy the odds by playing Major League Baseball well into his 40s.
The five-time All-Star finally called it a career on Monday, announcing his retirement after 20 MLB seasons as a member of four different clubs. Giambi released a statement through the New York Daily News‘ Mark Feinsand to officially declare his intentions.
Below is an excerpt from his announcement:
Ever since I was five years old, all I ever wanted to be was a Major League Baseball player. The Oakland A’s, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Indians were a big part of helping that dream come true.
To the managers, coaches and players, it’s been a tremendous honor sharing the field with you and thank you very much.
To the writers, local and national, and to the broadcasters, I want to express my appreciation to the media for covering the game we all love.
I want to thank the fans for being a part of this incredible journey. I especially want to thank the fans that gave me a second chance to let me show you the human being you see today.
Perhaps Giambi won’t step away from Major League Baseball entirely just yet, though.
The Cleveland Indians were the last team Giambi played for, and they left him an offer to work in a non-playing role in the event he retired, per CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman (h/t HardballTalk’s Craig Calcaterra):
Giambi is 44 years of age. Although he isn’t as nimble as he once was—a fact that likely played a factor in his decision to retire—the longtime slugger can still swing the bat.
And teach others to do so.
There’s little doubt about the passion Giambi has for the game, given how long he stuck with it as his skills waned. His statement even declares how he’s wanted to be part of Major League Baseball since he was five years old, so it’d be hard to envision him being completely out of the game in 2015 and beyond.
One asset Giambi brought to the dish was his keen eye at the plate, which helped him still draw walks and increased his value even when his physical tools were diminishing.
To be fair, Giambi has long been far removed from his heyday with the Oakland Athletics, where he peaked with a whopping 8.8 Wins Above Replacement in 2001. But to relay some of the thoughts he had when he was in that type of zone would be invaluable to younger players or even veterans trying to dig out of a hitting slump.
Giambi’s words from this last September, when retirement was still a concept he wrestled with, captures the type of personality and love of the game that make him an ideal coaching candidate, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com:
I’ve been playing this game since I was five years old. That’s your whole life. If you look at it, it’s 40 years of doing the same thing. It’s been unbelievable. It’s been fun. But, I still haven’t made a decision about what I’m going to do yet. Who knows? Maybe somebody’s looking for a broken down 44-year-old to kind of take a few extra hacks.
Serving strictly as a designated hitter in his latter playing days would actually make for a logical transition to focusing on that element of the game if Giambi opts to occupy the dugout.
MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian took time to highlight how productive Giambi was at the dish:
With career numbers consisting of a .277 batting average, 2,010 hits, 440 home runs and 1,441 RBI, Giambi warrants at least some consideration for Cooperstown. He definitely has the resume fit to be a hitting coach or mentor an MLB club in some other capacity.
Regarding Giambi’s personality and how he’d contribute to a positive clubhouse culture, the following testimony from longtime Indians executive Mark Shapiro is telling:
Whether Giambi winds up as a Hall of Famer someday should depend on voters’ perception over time of his admitted steroid use—an issue that has tainted many players from Giambi’s era.
As a coach, Giambi could spin his difficult experiences into a positive. Dealing with off-field controversy is something he had to endure amid that scandal. It’s another area where he would be a tremendous asset as a coach.
Any team that would take on Giambi would be adding an animated veteran presence to the clubhouse, with a wealth of knowledge about hitting to boot. If he wasn’t well liked among peers, Giambi probably wouldn’t have continued getting calls to suit up when his playing career was on the decline.
Now Giambi has a chance to parlay his unique, two-decade legacy as a professional player to remain around Major League Baseball through coaching, which many of the sport’s enthusiasts would have to enjoy.
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