Jason Hammel, Starting Pitcher, Retired
Date of Birth: 9/2/1982
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina
College: Treasure Valley Community College
Jason Hammel, retired starting pitcher, was first drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2002. He pitched in the Rays' minor league system from 2002 until 2006, when they called him up to pitch in 9 games. He was both a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher in 2007 and 2008, playing in 24 games with the Rays in 2007 and in 40 games in 2008.
The Rays traded Hammel to the Colorado Rockies in April, 2009. That season, he pitched a career high 176.2 innings in 34 games and he had a 10-8 record with a 4.33 ERA. He signed a two-year contract with the Rockies prior to the 2011 season. In 2011, he pitched 170.1 innings and had a 7-13 record and a 4.76 ERA in 32 games.
In February, 2012, the Rockies traded Hammel to the Baltimore Orioles. That year, he had a career low ERA of 3.43 with an 8-6 record in 20 games. In 2013, he had a 4.97 ERA with a 7-8 record in 26 games.
In January, 2014, Hammel signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics on July 4, 2014. He finished the 2014 season with a 10-11 record, 158 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a 3.47 ERA in 17 games with the Cubs and 13 games with the Athletics.
Hammel agreed to return to the Cubs on December 8, 2014. He signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the team. He finished the 2015 season with a 10-7 record, a career high 172 strikeouts to 40 walks, and a 3.74 ERA in 170.2 innings in 31 games. He pitched 4.1 innings in 2 postseason games and he gave up 7 hits, including 3 home runs, and 7 runs.
Hammel had a strong season in 2016, finishing with a 3.83 ERA in 30 games. He had a career high 15 wins to 10 losses and 144 strikeouts to 53 walks in 166.2 innings. He didn't pitch in the postseason with the Cubs.
Hammel became a free agent on November 6, 2016. He signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Kansas City Royals on February 8, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with a 5.29 ERA in 32 games. He had 8 wins and 13 losses and 145 strikeouts to 48 walks in a career high 180.1 innings.
Hammel finished the 2018 season with 4 wins and 14 losses, 92 strikeouts to 39 walks, and a 6.02 ERA in 127.0 innings in 18 games as a starter and 21 games in relief
Hammel became a free agent on October 31, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on February 1, 2019.
Hammel retired in March, 2019.
Career pitching statistics for Hammel through 2018 include:
- 377 games played
- 1,810.1 innings pitched
- 96-114 win-loss record
- 1,428 strikeouts to 567 walks
- 4.62 ERA
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jason Hammel
ESPN - Jason Hammel