Jake Lamb

Jacob Ryan Lamb (born October 9, 1990) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014, and was an All-Star in 2017. He has also played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics.

Jake Lamb
Lamb with the Diamondbacks in 2017
Free agent
Infielder
Born: (1990-10-09) October 9, 1990
Seattle, Washington
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 7, 2014, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
MLB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.239
Home runs84
Runs batted in312
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur career

Lamb grew up in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. He attended Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle and starred for their baseball team.[1]

After graduating high school, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Lamb in the 38th round of the 2009 MLB Draft, but he followed through with his commitment to attend the University of Washington.[2] He played college baseball for the Washington Huskies baseball team. With the Huskies, Lamb was named an All-Pac-12 Conference player.[3] After his sophomore season in 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4]

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks
Lamb at bat in 2017

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Lamb in the sixth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He made his professional debut in 2012 for the Missoula Osprey of the Rookie-level Pioneer League.[5] Lamb played for the Visalia Rawhide of the Class A-Advanced California League in 2013, but appeared in only 64 games due to a hamstring injury.[6] The Diamondbacks assigned Lamb to the Arizona Fall League after the 2013 season.[7] They invited him to spring training in 2014.[8] He began the 2014 season with the Mobile Bay Bears of the Class AA Southern League, and was promoted to the Reno Aces of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.[9]

After the Diamondbacks traded Martín Prado on July 31, they promoted Lamb to the major leagues on August 7.[6] In 37 games that season, Lamb had a .230 batting average with four home runs.[10] Lamb began the 2015 season on the disabled list but was later taken out and played in 107 games, hitting .263 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in (RBIs). During the 2016 season, Lamb hit .291 with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs in the first half, and was a finalist for the last All Star spot in the All-Star Final Vote.[11] After struggling in the second half, in which he hit .197 (46-for-234), Lamb finished the season with a .249 average, 29 home runs, 91 RBIs, and nine triples.

Lamb was selected to play in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game.[12] He finished the season hitting .248 with 30 home runs, 105 RBIs and 87 walks, although he managed more consistent splits (.246 in the first half and .250 in the second half). On August 2, 2018, he was ruled out for the season as he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.[13] In 56 games, he hit .222 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.

On April 5, 2019, Lamb went on the injured list with a Grade 2 strain to his left quadriceps muscle.[14] He returned to the Diamondbacks in late June.[15] He batted .193 on the 2019 season.[16]

Lamb and the Diamondbacks agreed to a $5.5 million salary for the 2020 season.[16] On September 10, 2020, the Diamondbacks designated Lamb for assignment.[17] At the time of his designation, Lamb had hit .116/.240/.210 with no home runs over 50 plate appearances in 2020. Lamb was released on September 12.

Oakland Athletics

On September 14, 2020, Lamb signed a major league contract with the Oakland Athletics and was added to their active roster.[18]

Personal life

Lamb's father, John, played college football for Whitworth University, and his mother, Deonne, was a tennis player in high school and college. Lamb's older brother, Dan, played two sports in high school. His younger brother, Dylan, plays college baseball for the Washington Huskies.[19] His sister, Megan, played softball after surviving leukemia.[20]

References
  1. "Bishop Blanchet (Seattle) sluggers Jake Lamb and Josh Sale may not have a ton in common off the field, but when it comes to baseball they're on the same page. – ESPN". Espn.go.com. June 16, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  2. Wilmoth, Charlie (January 7, 2016). "Looking back at the Pirates' 2009 draft". Bucs Dugout. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  3. "Teammates again: Michael Conforto and Jake Lamb go from Seattle-area amateurs to NL All-Stars". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  4. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. https://missoulian.com/sports/osprey/ex-husky-standout-among-11-added-to-osprey-roster/article_458d1b06-b659-11e1-8909-001a4bcf887a.html
  6. "Youth movement continues with Jake Lamb call up". Azcentral.com. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  7. "D-backs prospect Jake Lamb enjoying Arizona Fall League opportunity | dbacks.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. June 30, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  8. "Arizona Diamondbacks' Spring Training set to start early this year | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. January 9, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  9. Nick Piecoro, azcentral sports 2:15 p.m. MST August 7, 2014. "Diamondbacks promoting prospect Jake Lamb". Azcentral.com. Retrieved August 8, 2014.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. "Jake Lamb, emerging major-leaguer from Seattle, comes home". The Seattle Times. July 26, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  11. Gilbert, Steve (January 20, 2016). "D-backs' Jake Lamb 4th in All-Star Final Vote". MLB.com. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  12. "Resurgent Diamondbacks well-represented at All-Star Game". Usatoday.com. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  13. "Diamondbacks All-Star Jake Lamb out for season with shoulder injury". www.sportingnews.com.
  14. Gilbert, Steve (April 5, 2019). "Jake Lamb placed on injured list". MLB.com. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  15. "Arizona Diamondbacks: Jake Lamb's return raises questions". Azcentral.com. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  16. "Arizona Diamondbacks' Jake Lamb confident he'll bounce back in 2020". Azcentral.com. February 23, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  17. Connor Byrne (September 10, 2020). "Diamondbacks Designate Jake Lamb". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  18. Anthony Franco. "Athletics Sign Jake Lamb". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  19. "Washington Huskies". Washington Huskies. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  20. "Jake Lamb's athletic roots firmly connected to parents, siblings in Seattle". FOX Sports. June 6, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
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