Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Former Major League Baseball player Jeremy Giambi, who spent six seasons in the majors, died Wednesday at the age of 47, it was announced.
Giambi died at his parents' home in Southern California, according to a statement from his agent, Joel Wolfe. No cause of death was immediately provided.
Giambi began his MLB career with the Kansas City Royals in 1998. After just two seasons in Kansas City (1998-99), the Oakland Athletics acquired Giambi from the Royals in a trade before the start of the 2000 season.
The former outfielder and first baseman spent parts of three seasons (2000-02) with the A's, who also had Giambi's older brother, Jason, on the roster. They played two seasons together with the Athletics.
Related
Giambi was part of the 2002 Athletics team whose season was chronicled by author Michael Lewis in the 2003 novel Moneyball. During that 2002 season, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for John Mabry.
"We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi," the A's said in a statement Wednesday. "We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends."
Giambi played the remainder of the 2002 campaign with the Phillies before ending his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox in 2003. He signed Minor League contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 and the Chicago White Sox in 2005, but he never returned to the majors.
In 510 career games, Giambi recorded a .263 batting average with 52 home runs, 209 RBIs and 372 total hits.
