“Floater, CENTERFIELD!! The Diamondbacks are world champions!”
To Yankee fans, myself included, and many other baseball fans, Joe Buck’s call of Luis Gonzalez’s game-winning RBI single in game 7 of the 2001 World Series signified the end of an era—it was the night the Yankee Dynasty ended. The team was on the cusp of a four-peat; a feat only accomplished by the franchise twice, from 1936-1939 and 1949-1953. As I sunk into my couch I wondered the obvious, “how did we let this one slip away?” But also, “where does the team go from here?” Well, blossoming in the Bay Area was a young powerful first baseman about to enter his prime. And an there was winning-crazy owner in New York that was ready to begin a frenzy of bad signings for big dollars.
There is no question that seven years after the fact, the signing of Jason Giambi was an utter failure for the New York Yankees. For the previous six seasons, Tino Martinez was a fixture at first base. The move to bring Giambi to the Bronx had Yankee fans salivating over the possibilities. Giambi was entering his prime at 30-years-old. His big lefty swing seemed a perfect fit for the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. In addition, he was leaving a somewhat anemic offense, which only scored seven runs in the final three
 games of the ALDS that year, and coming to a team with an endless wallet and already a handful of proven hitters.
Giambi hit 41 home runs in each of his first two seasons with the Yankees. From there, the downward spiral began. In 2004, Giambi was not the same hitter. Plagued by injuries, some odd, Giambi only played in 80 games and hit a mere 12 home runs. Then, prior to the 2005 season, Giambi publicly admitted to “taking that stuff”. The following four seasons were not terrible, but for the $120 million, seven-year contract he was signed to, it was time for the Yankees to chalk this one up as a loss and cut ties with the aging first baseman.
Which brings us back to the Bay Area—where it all began for Giambi in the mid-90s. The “Giambino”, not really anymore, signed a one-year contract worth $5.25 million, with incentives, of course. Not bad for a 37-year-old who is clearly not the power hitter he was during his last stint with the Athletics. So, what kind of impact will Giambi have with the Athletics? In addition, how much is he worth in the fantasy realm this year? In this piece, we will take a look at the determining factors, which were used when Giambi signed with the Yankees seven years ago.
Age
What worked for Giambi when he signed his last contract is now working against him. Age must be a factor when considering Giambi this year. The 37-year-old has not hit .300 since 2002. In addition, Giambi has spent some time on the shelf in recent years. In 2004 and 2007, Giambi missed 80 games in both seasons and was not very effective when healthy. Granted, Giambi will primarily be used as the designated hitter, which would help reduce the chance of injury. In reality though, it’s because Giambi is a liability in the field. At the same time however, Giambi openly said when he was in New York that he felt more comfortable at the plate when he played the field. Nonetheless, Giambi joins a growing list of oft-injured aging veterans brought into Oakland to DH. Some have worked—Frank Thomas hit 39 home runs and knocked in 114 RBIs in 2006—and others have not—Mike Piazza only played in 83 games in 2007 and Mike Sweeney hit a feeble two home runs in 42 last year.
 Ballpark
It is no secret that the McAfee Coliseum is a pitcher-friendly park. Down the line is the shortest distance at 330 feet and straight-away center is 400 feet. Oh yeah, and there is about a mile of foul territory on each side, literally. According to Hit Tracker, the Coliseum averaged 1.54 home runs per game. This was ti contrast, Yankee Stadium averaged 1.98 home runs per game. The two rates would translate into 125 home runs at the Coliseum and 160 at Yankee Stadium—a difference of 35 home runs.
Despite the dimensions, during Giambi’s MVP season in 2000 he hit 23 of his 43 home runs at the Coliseum and also batted 31 points higher (.349) at home. Again, he did have a certain boost that season, though. But quite possibly, Giambi might just be a better at home—regardless of what team and where he plays. Over the past three seasons in New York, Giambi has hit 21 points higher (.258) at home.
Protection
When Giambi joined the Yankees in 2002, he was joining a solid supporting cast of homegrown talent in Derek Jeter, Alfonso Soriano, Jorge Posada, and Bernie Williams The departure of Tino Martinez and retirement of Paul O’Neill did hurt the offense to a degree, but Giambi was supposed to help fill that void.
 Hitting in front of Bernie Williams was certainly a positive thing for Giambi. So what do the Athletics have to offer this year? Well, the signing comes at an opportune time for Giambi, as the team recently made a big move for the offense bringing in top hitter Matt Holliday. However, besides Holliday, there isn’t anything else to be overly excited about. Bobby Crosby has shown flashes of potential. And Eric Chavez was a once 30 home run, 100-RBI threat. But for both players, health has been a major concern. Before last year, Crosby had not played in 100 games since his rookie year. In addition, he has only hit .229, .226, and .237 the past three seasons. As for Chavez, the last two seasons have been a wash. He has played in only 113 games total. So, coming from a Yankees club that produced 789 runs to an Athletics team that was 26th in runs scored with 646, there is a significant difference. Therefore, a lot rides on the protection the two acquisitions, Holliday and Giambi, can provide for each other.
Final Analysis
Clearly, Giambi has a lot of things working against him. Plus, he’s lost the porn ‘stache, and that’s disappointing. But at the same time, he will probably regain his old look before cleaning up the scruff to join the Yankees. And that seemed to work for him last time. Then again, his facial hair is partly gray this time around. Which is part of the reason why I do not have high hopes for Giambi this year. Only one positive thing remained consistent during Giambi’s tenure with the Yankees and that was the home runs. When healthy, Giambi hit at least 30 home runs in all seven seasons with the Yankees. His triple-slash power numbers have significantly dipped. Last year he was .373/.502/.876, in contrast to his lifetime averages of .408/.534/.942. The days of 40 HR/110 RBI/.300 are distant memories for Giambi. If he stays healthy, he will definitely play considering the options the Athletics have. Therefore, he will get his share of ABs and hit between 25-30 home runs as usual. However, it is plausible that he will knock in less runs with the people in front of him in the order. Again, this team was nearly the worst in the league last year in runs scored. In terms of average, Giambi has settled into his own over the past few seasons. He is no longer a .300 hitter. Giambi is at best a .270 hitter, but more realistically in the .240-.250 neighborhood. Factor in that he doesn’t steal bases, or look pretty trying (unless you like watching some in real-time but appears in slow motion), or score a lot of runs. To me, Giambi will only be a one-category player this season.
What do you think of Giambi this year? Will he find the fountain of youth by the Bay where he started, or will this be the end for the “Giambino”?
Trackback(0)
|
Tweet me!
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Mattingly: .307, 222 HR, 1099 RBI, 1007 R
Giambi: .286, 396 HR, 1279 RBI, 1116 R
Each have MVP awards. Mattingly played on some weaker Yankee teams and of course is a glorified Yankee in team history. But, by the numbers, Giambi has already been much better. Giambi has had an OBP over .400 seven times in his career, against Mattingly's zero. I'd actually say Giambi has a better shot even with the steroid admissions. Matt Williams got votes didn't he?