Before the season started, Jason Giambi apologized to the fans. "I feel I let down the fans. I feel I let down the media. I feel I let down the Yankees. I'm sorry I can't be more candid" Jason never specified for what he was apologizing but everyone knew.
Nineteen ninety two was Jason's first professional baseball season. In 41 at bats in Class A ball, he batted .317 with 3 home runs. In 1993, still in Class A, Giambi hit 12 home runs in 313 at bats, and in 1994 he split time in Double A where he hit 6 home runs and Triple A, where the "Giambino" blasted all of 4 home runs. The last time he was where he recently refused to return to, the minors, was part of 1995, when he hit 3 home runs in 190 at bats (A two game 2004 rehabilitation stint is not included).
Okay, let's list the home run numbers for his minor league career: 3, 12, 10 and 3 in 265 games. When he joined the A's in 1995, Giambi hit 6 home runs in 54 games, which is about the same pace he had in the minors. There was little in his record to indicate that he would hit over 40 home runs three times in his now tainted career but at least he apologized in February.
Giambi has not done too well so far. A six game "audition" is ridiculous but Joe Torre, who has stated repeatedly in the past that slumping players need time to work things out, had no choice because although Jason was sorry, he wasn't sorry enough to go the minors where he wouldn't cost the Yankees games. Torre started him instead of the red hot Tino Martinez last night so Jason could get a feel for playing defense and Bernie Williams could be the designated hitter.
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