FEBRUARY 10: The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner/Coroner’s Office has ruled Giambi’s death a suicide, reports Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle. According to the M.E.’s Office, he died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Barry Zito, Giambi’s former teammate in Oakland, told the Chronicle Giambi 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.”
FEBRUARY 9: Former major league outfielder Jeremy Giambi passed away today, agent Joel Wolfe informed reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle). He was 47 years old.
Giambi began his professional career in 1996, when the Royals selected him out of Cal State Fullerton. The lefty-hitting outfielder reached the big leagues as a September call-up just two years later. After appearing in 18 games down the stretch, he ranked among Baseball America’s top 100 prospects entering the 1999 season. Giambi played in a bit more than half of Kansas City’s games that year. That offseason, the A’s — for whom his older brother Jason Giambi was already an established star — acquired him in a deal that sent Brett Laxton to Kansas City.
The younger Giambi would spend the next two and a half seasons in Oakland, developing into a productive hitter. After putting up league average offensive numbers in 2000, the California native emerged as a key on-base threat by 2001. He hit .283/.391/.450 over 443 plate appearances that year, then began the following season with a .274/.390/.471 showing. Midway through the year, he was dealt to the Phillies for John Mabry. Giambi continued to produce in Philadelphia, posting a .244/.435/.538 mark with the Phils.
Philadelphia traded Giambi to the Red Sox over the 2002-03 offseason. He appeared in 50 games with Boston the following season, though his numbers dipped to a .197/.342/.354 line. That proved to be his final big league experience, as subsequent stints in the Dodgers and White Sox farm systems didn’t result in another MLB look.
Giambi is likely best remembered for his run with the A’s. The Oakland organization released a statement (via Twitter): 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. MLBTR joins countless others around the game in sending our condolences to Giambi’s family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.
Unreal. Absolutely Unreal.
Rest in peace, Jeremy.
Thoughts and prayers.
And I just mentioned the guy a few days ago, as he was Theo’s very first acquisition.
Damn! 2 young well known MLB players (Gerald Williams, 55) in 2 days? Never thought I’d see Jason Giambi’s YOUNGER brother go this quick. Rest in piece. I hope the Giambi family can get through this. I wonder how Billy Beane feels about this after the way Jason was portrayed in the book and movie.
Well, he didn’t write Moneyball so not too awful I’d hope
Boring? “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”
Is it just me or was the implication in Moneyball that Billy Beane specifically went out of his way to make sure he was the one to tell Jeremy Giambi that he was off the team because he got some kind of pleasure out of it. He was having other people tell all the other players when they were off the team. When those same people asked him if he wanted them to tell Giambi he said no because he wanted to do it himself. All because Giambi was supposedly dancing in the clubhouse one day after a loss. Was it just me or did that seem a little petty of Beane? I get that players shouldn’t be celebrating after a loss but that wasn’t why Giambi was dancing. The A’s were a very good team that year and even the best teams lose 40-60+ games a year. It’s like Beane wanted every single player crying at their locker after every loss and if that didn’t happen Beane would get some kind of petty joy out of telling the player he was off the team. A player dancing in the clubhouse isn’t anywhere near as bad as what many other MLB players end up doing off the field and even in the clubhouse.
Hammer – You know that was a movie, not a documentary, right?
Is this a real post?
47 years old. Just awful news. I feel horrible for his family. I felt like it was yesterday where I was watching him at the Oakland Coliseum when I lived in the Bay Area.
@Fever Pitch Guy
And Giambi was acquired for Josh Hancock, another player who died way too young
Rsox – Wow, that one I didn’t know about … crazy.
News said he passed away at his parent’s house too. That’s just horrible for parents to witness the death of their child.
One of the worst things in this world is for a parent having to experience the death of their child (at any age). Truly heartbreaking for the Giambi family.
Wow that’s awful. They say what he died from?
The cause of death is undisclosed at this time according to all the sources I’ve read, including the SF Chronicle, ABC7, ESPN, and a few others. I assume it quite possible they don’t yet know for sure given his age. Just tragic.
Man, according to this, TMZ obtained information that he died by suicide. Another poster said as much down below too but there was no link.
nj.com/yankees/2022/02/brother-of-ex-yankees-slugg…
Aww, Clip.
No words, man.
Prayers/positive thoughts for Jeremy Giambi’s family & friends.
Yeah, man. How helpless his parents must feel. And it’s only natural they will question what they missed and what they could’ve done to save him, even though there’s likely nothing. Puts things in perspective for sure.
google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-…
Brother of ex-other-ballplayer … that’s a cold headline.
Like a lot of vets, I’m kind of a fatalist. Number comes up, number comes up. How it seems anyway, Clip.
But this is something else, man.
Just you mentioning his parents & what they’re going through made my throat feel weird. It is truly unimaginable for me.
Appreciate your words Yankee Clipper. Happened to my family. My wife and I spent a lot of time questioning ourselves. There will always be someone missing but we are coming to realize he had us overmatched.
I read that it ws suicide.
I’m 63, fought in wars, and can’t get over the amount of players I grew up watching leaving this Earth so recently. It’s unreal. RIP.
It’ll get worse the older you get.
Thank you for your service! Respect brother.
I appreciate it. GI bill has allowed me to coach/teach for 35 years, and serve in active/reserve for 25. Life is good. Live it to its fullest, because you are never guaranteed tomorrow…
Also 63 and feel the same.
I really liked Jeremy as a player and I sure he was a decent person. RIP Jeremy
RIP Jeremy. You were safe on that Jeter flip play.
How did he die?
That was my question, no mention anywhere regarding cause of death.
Why does that matter?
fffbbb, it matters to some because sometimes it can be a wake-up call or warning of sorts.
Roger71-Self inflicted gun sot
47 is way too young. I can’t imagine the pain of a parent burying a child.
TMZ – which is good at this stuff for wahtever that means – reports the cause of death as suicide.
I really just wish we at least tried to do something about this.
You don’t think people are trying to do something about suicide? How about drug and alcohol addiction? You honestly think society ‘hasn’t at least tried to do something about this’?
Kangz traded tyrese Haliburton for some dude yesterday and all over the subreddit was suicide prevention tips and hotlines
Posting a hotline number is easy. It’s like tweeting. It’s the 2nd leading cause of death for people under 40 in this country – we still have massive stigmas against mental illness, lack of resources/access for those who need it, no attempt to limit firearms which massively increase firearm risk, etc.
You know I typed Mr. Giambi.
The Saber-toothed Superfife – What do you mean? Your comment is a little vague and confusing.
People are against owning guns that are needed in a battle, stop trying to suggest that the majority of the left/center shares the same views as the far side who by the way are a huge minority despite what your people say. Also another thing, has nothing to do with suicide it’s about mass murder
Ban ropes and guns and cars but keep feeding people alcohol drugs both prescription and recreational. Zero accountability full on using a tragedy as old as time to push an agenda. The worst kind of person makes this an anti gun argument.
Might as well ban ice cream while we are at it. Because it makes people fat.
It’s sad Jeremy opted out. Surely you realize there is more than one way to do it? You could actually accomplish that just by drinking insane amounts of water. There is something called the second amendment which states we have the right to bear arms. Feel free to move to a different country if you don’t like the laws.
Duned, because immediately jumping to conclusions and labeling people like you do doesn’t create division which is the real problem with this world. Your god? She would be very disappointed with you…
Dunedin020306 – You’re my new favorite person on here. God bless you sir.
“Commit” is not the word that should proceed “suicide.” It imparts a degree of accomplishment that may encourage others to do the same. Giambi died by suicide.
Oh boy. The word police is here.
prov356 – It’s anything but being the “word police.” It’s professional experts saying that phrasing is harmful in efforts to prevent future suicides. Suicide has struck very close to home for me, so anything big or small that can be done to prevent future suicides is important.
vtbaseball – Please explain to me who is “jumping to conclusions” and what the alleged false conclusion is. Also, if you genuinely think that the “real problem with this world” is people “immediately jumping to conclusions and labeling people like you do doesn’t create division” then you are seriously out of touch with reality. In an increasingly secular society, division is unavoidable. Division is good, because Biblically speaking our loving Creator has made it clear there are differences (“divisions”) between “right” and “wrong”, and “good” and “evil”, and your apparent feel-good aversion to such a distinction, along with your unholy feminization of God, shows which side of the fence you are on..
mlls100 – What do you mean there is “no attempt to limit firearms which massively increase firearm risk”? That doesn’t make any sense. Also, it is silly to think one can effectively dissuade people from suicide by simply limiting firearms. There are MANY other ways people can and do murder themselves. Besides, how would one go about limiting firearms in a false expectation that it would reduce suicide rates? About 12 years ago my cousin, after many years of health problems, shot and killed himself in a bathtub at his parents’ home. I don’t know if the gun belonged to his parents or was his, but neither he nor his parents had any criminal history, nor had he ever attempted suicide before. There was justifiably no legal way to take that gun from his sphere of influence. Guns are not the problem; mental health is the problem, and our Country needs to address mental health concerns, NOT demonizing guns. Guns are inanimate objects and are tools which can be used for good and productive means.
Dun- keep believing in your fairytale “god” made up by the elite to control sorry asses like you.
Somebody declaring themself a professional expert and then declaring certain phrasing harmful is EXACTLY what is meant by “word police”. I mean that’s exactly what it is.
Cosmo2, I never said I was a professional expert. I said professional experts offer that advice.
This isn’t there/their/they’re. It’s an attempt to reduce the chance that someone might read this and decide to copy Giambi. It matters.
I was diagnosed bipolar in 2001 I have been treated with medication since, I can’t imagine why there’s a “stigma” associated with my illness and others, this world needs more empathy, and pragmatic treatment for those in need, Before my diagnosis I made several half assed attempts at suicide, along with massive substance abuse…. I got clean, and began talk therapy and medication on November 28, 2001,thank God I didn’t succeed, my thoughts go out to the family, This is a huge problem in America, and I suspect the rest of the world as well, rest in peace Jeremy
Dune, please disregard any responses from my account. I believe one of my roommates was using my laptop and my account, I guess I need to sign out everytime I am finished here…
Peace and be well.
Sorry if it seemed to be too much about me, but these stories really affect me, and when I see stories like this one the first thing I think of is how horrific this must have been for his parents, I’m very lucky to have solid parents that are willing to help me out, I repeat, we need to make treatment and maintenance of these diseases easier to obtain, it’s in the best interest of society, not just the individual is affected
gbs, I get that, I’m not saying you called yourself an expert. But what you described is exactly word policing. The very definition.
So glad that’s your big contribution on this subject.
vtbaseball – I appreciate your clarification. Please let your roommate who made the hateful and hostile comment that anyone who holds such a Godless worldview must irrationally deny history and reality to do so.
Wow in his parents house. Brutal.
Rest in Peace.
Wow, sorry for his family. That’s terrible.
I liked his character in moneyball. Unfortunate
Whoa …. Too young! RIP
If Jeremy lives up to even half his ability the course of Baseball history and Red Sox history is drastically different.
That said, whether or not it was suicide or something else its a tragedy for his family, fans and the game of Baseball. R.I.P. Jeremy
Very sad but he was a RH hitter not a LH hitter. Just sayin’
Nope. He was a LH hitter
What?
Nothing would pain me more than to lose a loved one to suicide. We live in a fallen and broken world. Praying for peace for the Giambi family
Lost a friend to suicide a few years ago. It hits differently. Makes you think a lot.
RIP Jeremy
Tragic. Prayers to his loved ones.
I remember his dad going to the car dealership I worked at in West Covina and always talk about his two sons all the time. RIP
Rip
At us navy fighters 97. Blow it out your arz! This is a human life. How bout a little empathy for his family man. You are pathetic. Guess you can throw the 1st stone you piece of work.
The amount of agenda-laden responses here is absolutely shocking.
What else is new, divide is what is being politicized and spewed from every propaganda outlet know as “the free press” in America? Eliminate the monopoly on media and news, you Eliminate brainwashed propaganda from the elite who own whatever news station you tune into. Freedom is a scary thing right? So are jails? Who’s Wright, when everybody’s Wrong?
A guy just ended his life. Something I tried once and the courts want me in jail? At least I’m able to type this unlike the man the article was written about? Why do we politicize such things? Death is not political, it’s final
I’ve gone to 2 court dates a month since the pandemic guidelines were lifted in March 2020 for trying to commit suicide twice? Why do prosecuting attorney’s politicize suicide attempts? Why do they want you in jail with real criminals and people are walking out of stores with hundreds of dollars of merchandise? There’s a mental health crisis and my mental health is being politicized?
Thank God my back isn’t to the wall, I’d opt out of the shortened season if it keeps going on. Ridiculous
Sorry to hear all that man. I hope you are able to find some help, someone to talk to. Suicide is never the answer. I wish you all the best and glad your still here hippy
Awful just awful news. May God’s tangible peace and love find the family and friends in their time of need.
RIP. Damn this sucks.
“Giambi is likely best remembered for his run HE DIDN’T SCORE with the A’s.”
FTFY
And he was let go to keep Big Papi.
RIP Jeremy Giambi
“I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the world turns and that things get better.”
RIP Jeremy Giambi. May his family find peace and comfort.
@Hippyripper
V for Vendetta. Good quote.
Log term steroid use most likely the cause.They eat your brain away and either kill you or cause mental problems for life.
Gunshot, you classless jerk. Get a clue.
I usually only post out of frustration at a post or comment. But when something like this happens to a guy like Jeremy Giambi its tragic. Here’s a guy who’s life after baseball had to be very difficult. Jeremy was extremely talented ballplayer who couldn’t quite get it together and may have enjoyed the limelight a little too much, while watching his older brother be the best hitter in baseball. I could only imagine the bitterness of missing that opportunity on top of the possible jealousy of Jason amd his success, and the weight that would put on someone. How he was portrayed in moneyball I am sure only added to the bitterness and added to his legacy of a guy who missed his chance.
Thoughts and prayers to his family in this hard time.
I’m a four time suicide survivor, and I’m just about Jeremy’s age and a baseball peer. If this was suicide it’s just sad. He had struggles when he was younger, but like a lot of us they were masked as being within the social norms of the times. None of that really goes away. You manage at 25, and you manage at 45. But it’s sad because there really is a chance..but things can be so bad that ending it seems like a rational choice. That’s a lot of pain. My thoughts are with his family. I was there the night he got his first major league hit.
@ Dock …..Very well formed comment, it’s good to hear that you been able to overcome the dark abyss that is depression. I hope you may continue to persevere to beat the disease.
Not desperate for attention.
Damn suicide? Terrible.
Really tough news, my deepest condolences for his family, may his soul rest in peace
and at his parents’ house too. jfc.
I read that too, that he died in Claremont. So sad
How sad.
@Hippyripper & @Dock_Elvis –
Just wanted to say that I hope to keep seeing your posts. Peace.
Mental health. There’s a lot of talk about supporting mental health, but when push-comes-to-shove, it’s mostly just talk. Such a shame. My best to all those in Jeremy’s family, as well as those struggling with mental health.
My two best friends growing up took their own lives, about ten years apart. It’s impossible to know what to say to family. You know how much it hurts you, but you imagine it’s infinitely worse for them. There’s no answer other than being supportive and showing love and compassion. Peace.
In the Name of Jesus, I command every spirit of suicide afflicting the MLBTR community cast out & sent where Jesus would send them. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to those needing You today.
He along with Jason were in that steroid space of time. I always think of Junior Seay. It’s either CTE or something that affected them that couldn’t get fixed maybe no matter how hard they tried.
I feel bad that Jeremy passed away and the only way to find peace was through suicide. It’s a tough topic and separately, I was impressed that mlbtraderumors.com didn’t block the conversation on this one and let people talk about it. I hope that Jeremy finally rests in peace.
He chose chest on purpose. I wonder if he had CTE or some other neurological problem. The cruelty of those is immeasurable. They lose their personalities and ability to regulate emotions.
And if you’ve ever experienced a panic attack it doesn’t matter to body that your conscious mind knows there’s no real danger. You’re just along for the horrible fearful ride.
No Redsox truck day this year?