James Harold Umbarger (born February 17, 1953) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. He attended Grant High School in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

, California, and was the 33rd pick in the 1971 Major League Baseball draft by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

, but opted to attend

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in t ...

. In 1974, ''The Sporting News'' named Umbarger as honorable mention on the All-America team. He was later selected in the 16th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft by the Texas Rangers. Umbarger made his major league debut in April, of 1975, with the Rangers, and had a successful rookie season for the team, going 8-7 in 56 games (12 of them starts, with 2 shutouts), with a 4.12 ERA. The following season, Umberger started 30 games for the Rangers, going 10-12 (with 3 shutouts) with a 3.15 ERA. Prior to the 1977 season, Umbarger was traded to the

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 t ...

, along with

Rodney Scott Rodney Scott may refer to: * Rodney Scott (actor) (born 1978), American actor * Rodney Scott (baseball) (born 1953), infielder in Major League Baseball * Rodney Scott (law enforcement officer), Chief of the United States Border Patrol *Rodney Scott ...

, for outfielder

Claudell Washington Claudell Washington (August 31, 1954June 10, 2020) was an American baseball outfielder who played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Atlanta Br ...

.As trade Washington to Texas
/ref> Umbarger was sold back to the Rangers August 24, 1977. Umbarger finished the 1977 season with the Rangers and returned for the 1978 campaign, appearing in 32 games and posting a 4.88 ERA. The 1978 season would be Umbarger's last in the major leagues.

References

Sources

, o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
1953 births Living people Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Charleston Charlies players Denver Bears players Glens Falls White Sox players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball pitchers Navegantes del Magallanes players Oakland Athletics players Pittsfield Rangers players Rochester Red Wings players San Jose Missions players Sportspeople from Burbank, California Baseball players from Los Angeles County, California Texas Rangers players Tucson Toros players Tulsa Drillers players Grant High School (Los Angeles) alumni American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players
{{US-baseball-pitcher-1950s-stub