Jeremy Giambi, Former MLB Player, Dodgers Minor Leaguer, Dead At 47
CLAREMONT (CBSLA) — Jeremy Giambi, the former Major League Baseball player whose professional career spanned over the better part of 10 years, died on Wednesday.
The news was announced by Giambi's agent, Joel Wolfe.
Horrible news: Jeremy Giambi passed away today at his parents' home in Southern California, according to his agent, Joel Wolfe. Jason and the family request that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 9, 2022
Authorities were called to the Giambi family's home in Claremont just before noon on Wednesday, where they found him dead, according to The Associated Press.
His cause of death has yet to be determined.
Giambi, 47-years-old, younger brother of Jason Giambi, spent six years in the Major Leagues, making his debut in 1998 with the Kansas City Royals. They drafted him in 1996 out of Cal State Fullerton, where he played his college ball, helping the Titans win the 1995 College World Series.
Both Giambi brothers attended South Hills High School in West Covina.
He would spend just over a year with Kansas City before being traded to the Oakland Athletics, where some of his most-remembered moments occurred. He was notably a part of the "Moneyball" Athletics in 2001, which just missed a chance to play for a World Series berth despite their limited payroll and unique approach to roster creation. Giambi was the one who was tagged out in the famous Derek Jeter "flip play."
Giambi was traded midway through the 2002 season, ending up with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was then traded again to the Boston Red Sox in 2003.
His time in Boston would be his last major league stop, before he signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in 2004 and another with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, though he would only play in 26 games over those two seasons.
Throughout the course of his major league career, Giambi compiled 52 home runs and 209 runs batted in with a lifetime .263 batting average.
Both Jeremy and his older brother were admitted steroid users during their careers, and were named in the infamous Mitchell Report, which exposed nearly 90 MLB players who were alleged to have used performance-enhancing drugs.