Jason Giambi

Guide Note:

Jason Giambi is currently a designated hitter and first baseman for the New York Yankees. In 2000, as a member of the Oakland Athletics, Giambi won the AL MVP award. Prior to the release of the Mitchell Report, Giambi was the only active baseball player to admit using steroids.

Fast Facts

1. Hometown: West Covina, CA, California
2. MLB Draft: 1992, Oakland Athletics
3. 1995-2001: Oakland Athletics
4. 2002-present: New York Yankees
5. MVP Award: 2000
6. Admitted using steroids and HGH
7. AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2005
8. Nickname: the "Giambino"

Giambi grew up in southern California and made his major league debut with the Oakland Athletics in 1995. He eventually took over first base duties on the team after the departure of Mark McGwire in 1997. Between 1997 and 2002, Giambi was one of baseball's most fearsome sluggers, hitting over 27 home runs in every year. In 2002, Giambi joined the New York Yankees, and signed a seven year, $120 million contract. In 2004, Giambi was diagnosed with a benign tumor and missed most of the year, but in 2005 he was named the AL Comeback Player of the Year for his resurgence.

In 2003, Giambi was named as a baseball player who took steroids as part of a federal investigation into the Bay Area Laborarory Co-Operative (BALCO). In leaked grand jury testimony, Giambi admitted to using steroids and human growth hormone between 2001 and 2003. In 2007, he publicly apologized for "using that stuff" and was one of the few active players to talk with former U.S. Senate Majority leader George Mitchell.