Jason Giambi announces his retirement in classy statement
The time has come for Jason Giambi. He’s calling it a career after 20 seasons in the big leagues.
Giambi, who turned 44 last month, announced Monday that he won’t return for 2015 after playing just 26 games last season as a DH and pinch hitter. Instead, he told his kids, “Daddy’s coming home.”
Giambi, like Andy Pettitte before him, will be a complicated figured in his post-playing days. He famously admitted his PED use after the BALCO scandal, but was earnest enough to get a second chance. In the twilight of his career, Giambi was revered as a good player to have in the clubhouse, so much so that his ex-team, the Cleveland Indians, reportedly have a standing offer for him to return as a coach.
That will wait for the time being, as Giambi says goodbye. His 442-word statement to the New York Daily News was all class and worth sharing:
“After 20 seasons, I have decided to officially announce my retirement as a Major League Baseball player. “I really want to thank my wife, Kristian, for going on this journey with me. She’s always been my rock. She’s always been there for me with support and love, and I really couldn’t have done this without her. She’s been everything to me and I don’t think I can state in words how much she’s meant to me. I love you and thank you.
“To my two gifts from heaven, London and Tristan, Daddy’s coming home.
“I want to thank my dad, John, for teaching me this beautiful game and for all the hitting we did on the weekends. I want to thank my mom, Jeanne, for all the practices she took me to and for being the loudest voice in the stands. To my brother Jeremy, playing on the same team as him were two of my favorite years of my career. To my sister Julie, you were always there supporting me and loving me, and my niece, Jenna, who has always been there to support me. I love you.
“I also want to thank Arn and Nancy Tellem for always treating me like I was a part of their family. I love you guys so much and thank you. Also Joel Wolfe and Erin Estrada for all the support and love they gave me over my career, I love you guys.
“So many other people played a huge part in my career, so I also want to thank Ron Simms, Bobby Alejo, Tommy Bolin, Mark Phillipi, Marsha Utain and Barbara Reeder. I also want to thank Nike, Reebok, Oakley Sunglasses and Louisville Slugger for supplying me the tools of the trade all these years.
“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.
“Lastly, to the game of baseball: I started playing you when I was a kid and I’m leaving you a man. Thank you.”
Giambi finishes his career with 440 homers, 1,441 RBIs, the 2000 MVP award and five All-Star selections. Whether he warrants enshrinement in Cooperstown is another matter altogether, one that’s premature to decide now, but at least worth discussing.
Using the JAWS metric, Giambi (46.5) falls below the threshold of the average first-baseman in the Hall of Fame (54.2). He also doesn’t measure up to Jeff Bagwell (63.9) or even Mark McGwire (51.9) — so that coupled with his PED use doesn’t bode well for Giambi.
His career, however, figures to live on in coaching. He’s been considered a favorite to move into a managerial role in the future, with the Colorado Rockies interviewing him for the 2012 job opening that later went to Walt Weiss. It’s believed Giambi would have retired to take the job.
Now it sounds like Giambi wants to be a dad first, so we don’t know when we’ll hear from him again. But we don’t figure it’ll be too awfully long.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
