Jacob Ryan Lamb (born October 9, 1990) is an American

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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

infielder in the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

organization. He made his MLB debut with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

in 2014, and was an All-Star in 2017. He has also played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics,

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, and

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) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

Amateur career

Lamb grew up in the Queen Anne neighborhood of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

. He attended

Bishop Blanchet High School Bishop Blanchet High School is a private coeducational Catholic high school located north of Green Lake in Seattle, United States. The school was founded in 1954 by the Archdiocese of Seattle, and named for the first bishop of the diocese, A.M ...

in Seattle and starred for their baseball team. 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 The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Washington Huskies baseball The Washington Huskies baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of Washington, located in Seattle, Washington, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference since the star ...

team. With the Huskies, Lamb was named an All- Pac-12 Conference player. After his sophomore season in 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball for the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play thei ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks (2014–2020)

The

selected Lamb in the sixth round of the

2012 MLB Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto ...

. He made his professional debut in 2012 for the

Missoula Osprey The Missoula PaddleHeads are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Missoula, Montana, and play their home games at Ogren Par ...

of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. Lamb played for the

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since thei ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League in 2013, but appeared in only 64 games due to a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

injury. The Diamondbacks assigned Lamb to the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

after the 2013 season. They invited him to spring training in 2014. He began the 2014 season with the

Mobile Bay Bears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League, and was promoted to the

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League. After the Diamondbacks traded Martín Prado on July 31, they promoted Lamb to the major leagues on August 7. In 37 games that season, Lamb had a .230

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with four

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. He 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 A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs). During the 2016 season, he 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 The All-Star Final Vote was an annual Internet and text message ballot by Major League Baseball (MLB) fans to elect the final player for each team that participates in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, after all other selections were m ...

. 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 The 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 88th edition of the Major League Baseball All Star Game. The game was hosted by the Miami Marlins and was played at Marlins Park on July 11, 2017. It was televised nationally by Fox. The gam ...

. 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. 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 The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

. He returned to the Diamondbacks in late June. He batted .193 for the 2019 season. Lamb and the Diamondbacks agreed to a $5.5 million salary for the 2020 season. On September 10, 2020, the Diamondbacks designated Lamb for assignment. At the time of his designation, he had hit .116/.240/.210 with no home runs over 50 plate appearances in 2020. Lamb was released on September 12.

Oakland Athletics (2020)

On September 14, 2020, Lamb signed a major league contract with the Oakland Athletics and was added to their active roster. In 13 games for Oakland as

Matt Chapman Matthew James Chapman (born April 28, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics. Chapman made his MLB debut with Oakland in ...

's replacement after he underwent surgery, Lamb slashed .267/.327/.556 with three home runs and nine RBIs and 45 at-bats.

Atlanta Braves (2021)

On February 21, 2021, Lamb agreed to a major league contract with 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) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

for $1 million. On March 27, 2021, the Braves released Lamb due to his underwhelming performance during spring training.

Chicago White Sox (2021)

On March 30, 2021, Lamb agreed to a contract with the

. He appeared in 43 games, batting .212/.321/.389 with 6 home runs and 13 RBIs, before he was designated for assignment on September 1, 2021.

Toronto Blue Jays (2021)

On September 3, 2021, Lamb was claimed off waivers by the

. Lamb was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays following Breyvic Valera's return from the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

related injured list. Lamb was released by Toronto on September 29.

Los Angeles Dodgers (2022)

On March 14, 2022, Lamb signed a minor league contract with the

. He was assigned to AAA

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, where he hit .290 in 61 games with 15 home runs. On June 28, he was called up to the majors. He played in 25 games for the Dodgers, hitting .239 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's.

Seattle Mariners (2022)

On August 2, 2022, Lamb was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. On September 21, Lamb was designated for assignment and became a free agent on September 24.

Los Angeles Angels

On December 21, 2022, Lamb signed a minor league contract with the

Personal life

Lamb's father, John, played college football for

Whitworth University Whitworth University is a private, Christian university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Spokane, Washington. Founded in 1890, Whitworth enrolls nearly 3,000 students and offers more than 100 graduate and undergraduate ...

, 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. His sister, Megan, played

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

after surviving

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

References

External links

Jake Lamb – Washington Huskies
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Jake 1990 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Seattle Bishop Blanchet High School alumni Chicago White Sox players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball third basemen Missoula Osprey players Mobile BayBears players National League All-Stars Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Reno Aces players Salt River Rafters players Seattle Mariners players Toronto Blue Jays players Visalia Rawhide players Washington Huskies baseball players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players