Jason Aaron Hammel (born September 2, 1982) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays,

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, and

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Amateur career

Hammel was born in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

, but raised in

Port Orchard, Washington Port Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located due west of West Seattle and is connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth. It is named a ...

. He attended

South Kitsap High School South Kitsap High School is a public high school in the South Kitsap School District and is located at 425 Mitchell Ave Port Orchard, Washington. In 2018, the school had the largest student population in the state. History and facilities South K ...

, and led the team to a 20–1 season in 2000 as the number one starter in the rotation. Hammel was drafted in the 23rd round by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

, but opted instead to attend

Treasure Valley Community College Treasure Valley Community College is a public community college in Ontario, Oregon, at the western edge of the Treasure Valley. Its service area is sections of Malheur and Baker counties. Additionally Harney County and the city of Burns have ...

Ontario, Oregon Ontario is the largest city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. It lies along the Snake River at the Idaho border. The population was 11,366 at the 2010 census. The city is the largest community in the region of far eastern Oregon, also k ...

. He played collegiate summer league ball for the

Wenatchee AppleSox The Wenatchee AppleSox is a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the West Coast League's North Division. The team is based in Wenatchee, Washington. The team was established in 2000 by owner Jim Corcoran and has played its home games at Pau ...

of the

West Coast League The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...

Professional career

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays

The

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venu ...

selected Hammel in the 10th round of the

2002 MLB Draft The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book '' Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * ...

. He made his major league debut on April 11, 2006, against the

and got his first victory as a starter on September 2, 2007, against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Colorado Rockies

On April 5, 2009, the Rays traded Hammel to the

for pitching prospect

Aneury Rodríguez Aneury Rodríguez (born December 13, 1987) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros and in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the Samsung Lions. Career Rodrígu ...

. On October 11, 2009, Hammel started game three of the

2009 National League Division Series The 2009 National League Division Series (NLDS) consisted of two concurrent best-of-five game series that determined the participating teams in the 2009 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a " wild card" team playe ...

against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Though he looked strong initially, he ended up allowing four earned runs and the Rockies went on to lose the game. Hammel agreed to a two-year contract with the Rockies before the 2011

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

Baltimore Orioles

The Rockies traded Hammel to the

, along with pitcher

Matt Lindstrom Matthew Raymond Lindstrom (born February 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks and ...

, for pitcher

Jeremy Guthrie Jeremy Shane Guthrie (born April 8, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals ...

on February 6, 2012. In his Orioles debut, he took a no-hit bid into the 8th inning, with the Orioles eventually winning, 3–1, over the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. On June 16, 2012, Hammel led the Orioles to a 5–0 victory over the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

, holding the Braves to one hit over nine innings. It was the first complete game shutout of his career and the first complete game by an Orioles pitcher in the 2012 season. On July 15, 2012, Hammel was placed on the 15-day disabled list to have a right knee surgery. Hammel started for the Orioles on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

in 2013. On June 1, 2013, during a game against the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

, Hammel was ejected for the first time in his career, by home plate umpire

Hunter Wendelstedt Harry Hunter Wendelstedt III (born June 22, 1971) is an American baseball umpire who has worked in the National League in 1998–1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. His father Harry Hunter Wendelstedt, Jr. was an NL umpire from ...

. Hammel had given up three consecutive home runs and his next pitch hit

Matt Tuiasosopo Matthew Petelu Tuiasosopo (born May 10, 1986) is an American former professional baseball utility player and the current manager of the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. He played in Major Leagu ...

in the shoulder with a slider.

Chicago Cubs

On January 31, 2014, Hammel signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the

. Before being traded, he compiled an 8–5 win–loss record to go with a 2.98 ERA and 104 SO.

Oakland Athletics

On July 4, 2014, the Cubs traded Hammel, along with pitcher

Jeff Samardzija Jeffrey Alan Samardzija (; born January 23, 1985), nicknamed "Shark", is an American professional former baseball pitcher. He played college baseball and football for the University of Notre Dame, and was recognized as a two-time All-American ...

, to the

in exchange for top

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

prospect

Addison Russell Addison Wayne Russell (born January 23, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Russell was drafted 11th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 Major League Baseb ...

, pitcher

Dan Straily Daniel Steven Straily (born December 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The Oakland Athletics selected Straily in the 24th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball ...

, outfielder Billy McKinney, and a player to be named later. After the trade with the A's, he recorded a 4.26 ERA and a 2–6 win–loss record.

Return to Cubs

On December 8, 2014, after becoming a free agent following the end of the 2014 season, Hammel agreed to terms on a two-year, $20 million deal to return to the Chicago Cubs. Hammel finished the 2015 season with a 10–7 record and a 3.74 ERA. He had the highest

line drive In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

percentage allowed (24.5%) of all major league pitchers. In game four of the

2015 National League Division Series The 2015 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2015 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1-3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one-g ...

vs. the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

, Hammel was the starting pitcher and pitched only 3 innings allowing three hits, two runs, one home run, and walked three batters with a no decision in the Cubs' 6–4 win over the Cardinals. Hammel also was the starting pitcher in game four of the

2015 National League Championship Series The 2015 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff contested between the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2015 World Series. The Mets swept the Cubs four g ...

vs. the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He only pitched innings, allowing four hits, five runs, two home runs, and walked two batters with the loss in the Cubs' 8–3 loss against the Mets. Hammel finished the first half of the 2016 MLB season with a solid 7–5 record and a 3.46 ERA. Hammel finished the season with a 15–10 record and a 3.83 ERA. Although he was not included on the Cubs' postseason roster, Hammel received his first World Series ring. On November 5, 2016, the Cubs declined Hammel's option for 2017 and he became a free agent.

Kansas City Royals

On February 8, 2017, Hammel signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the

. The contract includes a mutual option for the 2019 season. In his first season in Kansas City, Hammel struggled throughout the season, posting a record of 8-13 with a career worst 5.29 ERA in innings. Hammel began the 2018 season in the rotation but posted an ERA of 6.15 in 18 starts and was demoted to the bullpen. Overall, in 39 appearances with 18 starts, Hammel finished the season with a 6.02 ERA and a record of 4-14 in 127 innings. On October 30, 2018, the Royals declined his 2019 option, making him a free agent.

Texas Rangers

On February 1, 2019, Hammel signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers. On March 22, 2019, the Texas Rangers announced that Hammel had made the opening day roster. ;Retirement On March 23, 2019, Hammel announced his retirement from baseball.

Pitching style

Hammel throws a mix of five pitches: a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

at 92–95 mph, a

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

(his lead pitch) at the same speed, a slider in the mid 80s, a curveball in the upper 70s, and a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

in the high 80s. He uses all of his pitches against left-handed hitters, but eliminates the changeup against right-handers. His chief off-speed pitch with 2 strikes is the slider. Prior to the 2012 season Hammel relied mostly on the four-seamer, slider, and curve. In 2012, he shifted to a sinker/slider focus, with the other pitches playing less of a role. All of his pitches except the changeup produced above-average whiff rates in 2012, leading to a career-high K/9 rate of 8.6

Personal life

Hammel met Elissa Nichols in 2006 and they married in 2009. Together they have a son and a daughter. They resided in the Lake View neighborhood of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

but sold the home in 2021 and moved to the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammel, Jason 1982 births Living people Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Tampa Bay Rays players Colorado Rockies players Baltimore Orioles players Chicago Cubs players Oakland Athletics players Kansas City Royals players Treasure Valley Chukars baseball players Hudson Valley Renegades players Princeton Devil Rays players Charleston RiverDogs players Bakersfield Blaze players Montgomery Biscuits players Durham Bulls players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Frederick Keys players Bowie Baysox players Aberdeen IronBirds players Baseball players from South Carolina Major League Baseball pitchers People from Port Orchard, Washington