Making 1996 His Year : Giambi’s Decision to Stay in College Looks Good; He’s Batting .444 for Cal State Fullerton

Jason and Jeremy Giambi had one of those big brother-to-little brother, heart-to-heart talks in January, and Jason told Jeremy in so many words: Hey, this is your year. It’s your time to emerge as one of the dominant players in college baseball.

“I think it was Jason’s way of telling him that it was time for Jeremy to come out of his shadow too,” said their father, John, recalling the conversation.

And that is no small shadow.

Jason Giambi hit .414 over three seasons at Long Beach State, then made it to the major leagues only three seasons later with Oakland, which drafted him in the second round in 1992. He was the A’s starting first baseman on opening day.

“Jason and I have been real close in the last several years, and I’m always pulling for him to do well, the way he’s always pulling for me,” said Jeremy, a Cal State Fullerton outfielder. “When I was drafted by Detroit last summer, I thought a little while about signing, but Jason basically told me I still needed to do more in college baseball first.”

Giambi was a solid player in right field on Fullerton’s College World Series championship team last season, hitting .349 with four home runs and 37 runs batted in. This year, however, he has gone from solid to sensational. His average has soared to .444. He already has driven in 42 runs, and leads the team in stolen bases with 15, five more than last season.

Giambi is one of the main reasons Fullerton, averaging 10 runs and outscoring opponents by a six-run margin, probably is stronger offensively than a year ago when the Titans were 57-9 and unbeaten in the postseason. In one four-game stretch this year, Giambi went 10 for 13 and drove in 15 runs. He has hit safely in all but three games, and had one hitting streak of 19 games.

“We always knew he could hit, and he’s continued to improve as a hitter, but now he’s a complete player,” Titan Coach Augie Garrido said. “He’s matured a great deal in the last three years in all the other parts of his game.”

Giambi played in high school at West Covina South Hills, but was not as strong a prospect as his older brother, although Jeremy had the same smooth swing the two brothers learned from their father, a former player at Mt. San Antonio College.

“Jason did really well right away in college, but Jeremy is rapidly closing that gap,” John Giambi said. “But Jason was bigger and more physically developed then, while Jeremy was on the young side when he graduated from high school.” For that reason, Garrido decided to have him redshirt his freshman year.

“When Jeremy came to us, he wasn’t good defensively in the outfield,” associate head coach George Horton said. “Augie took that to him that first year, and he really worked to improve. That’s where he had to make the biggest change, and where he’s made the most significant improvement in his game.”

Garrido is especially pleased with Giambi’s impact on the Titans’ running game.

“He’s shown this team how to run the bases,” Garrido said. “That’s brought a good element to our offense. Sometimes players who hit the ball well, become one-dimensional, but Jeremy isn’t that way. He’s accepted our philosophy that you have to be able to do everything, and he’s one of the guys at the lead of all that’s happening with us.

“He’s providing leadership in a lot of different ways, and I didn’t know if he’d be able to do that. It’s more of an upbeat, fun approach to the game, and I think that’s healthy. But he’s also been more consistent with his work ethic.”

Horton thinks Giambi’s hitting also has improved because he’s not trying to hit with power as often. He connected for two home runs in the 1994 College World Series, but had only four for the season. This year he has four homers, but hasn’t been trying to force it.

“I think he perceived himself as a home-run hitter early in his career with us, but he’s wasn’t as good when he wasn’t swinging within himself,” Horton said. “He was trying to be something he wasn’t.”

Giambi, who bats and throws left-handed, believes the key to his improved hitting is physical as well as mental.

“I was having problems with my wrist at times last year,” he said. “I injured it three years ago, and it never seemed to get any better. The doctor said it was going to keep getting worse if I didn’t do something about it, so I had the surgery and took the summer off. I think it’s helped. My wrist and forearm feel stronger, and my whole range of motion in my swing is better.”

Giambi also believes he has matured as a hitter. “I’m not over-reacting to situations when we have guys in scoring position this season,” Giambi said. “I think I’m more patient too, and I’m getting better pitches to hit.”

He credits Garrido for improving his mental approach. “He’s made me 100% tougher mentally,” Giambi said. “He really knows fundamentals, and he’s made me the player I am right now.”

One of Giambi’s goals this season is to hit over .400, and he’s well on the road to that. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself with too many goals, but that was one of them,” he said. “I just want to have an impact on this season, and be a key player for the team.”

Mark Kotsay, the 1995 college player of the year, probably has been helped by having Giambi hitting so successfully behind him. Opposing pitchers have to think twice about walking Kotsay intentionally with Giambi up next. Occasionally this year, Giambi has batted in front of him. “The two of us batting next to each other has probably helped us both,” Kotsay said. “It’s tougher to pitch around me with him behind me. Things are going well for both of us right now, and we just have to hope it will continue. Jeremy is having a phenomenal year.”

Giambi says he’s happy he chose Fullerton, instead of trying to follow his brother’s path at Long Beach State. And he’s optimistic about the chances for a third trip to the College World Series in his third season with the Titans.

That possibility is a big reason he passed up the opportunity with the Tigers. “With Kotsay and [Brian] Loyd back, and a chance to repeat, I wanted to be a part of it,” Giambi said. “I also think this year is going to help me in the next draft.”

Garrido says Giambi has progressed to the point that he’s “one of the really sound pro prospects” in the program.

Ken Compton, Seattle Mariners’ special assignment scout, agrees. “He plays good defense, knows how to run the bases and has a nice swing. He comes out of a real good program, so that will help,” he said.

Garrido thinks Giambi is a stronger pro prospect now than a year ago.

“I think he has major league potential now,” Garrido said. “He’s improved his arm, and he’s still not finished developing. He’ll get stronger in the next couple of years when he gets into professional baseball.” And the day when two Giambis are in the major leagues might not be far away.