Amateur career

Hammel was born in Greenville, South Carolina, but raised in Port Orchard, Washington. He attended South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington, 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, but opted instead to attend Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays

Hammel was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 10th round of the 2002 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut on April 11, 2006, against the Baltimore Orioles and got his first victory as a starter on September 2, 2007, against the New York Yankees.

Colorado Rockies

On April 5, 2009, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies for pitching prospect Aneury Rodriguez. On October 11, 2009, Jason Hammel started game three of the 2009 National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. 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.

Baltimore Orioles

Hammel was traded to the Baltimore Orioles along with pitcher Matt Lindstrom for pitcher Jeremy Guthrie 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.

On June 16, 2012, Jason Hammel led the Orioles to a 5-0 victory over the Atlanta 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, Jason Hammel was placed on the 15-day disabled list to have a right knee surgery.

Hammel started for the Orioles on Opening Day in 2013.

On June 1, 2013, during a game against the Tigers, Hammel was ejected for the first time in his career, by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Hammel had given up three consecutive home runs and his next pitch hit Matt Tuiasosopo in the shoulder with a slider.

Chicago Cubs

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

Oakland Athletics

On July 4, 2014, Hammel, along with pitcher Jeff Samardzija, was traded to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for top shortstop prospect Addison Russell, pitcher Dan Straily, outfielder Billy McKinney, and a player to be named later.

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.

Pitching style

Hammel throws a mix of five pitches: a four-seam fastball at 92-95 mph, a two-seam fastball (his lead pitch) at the same speed, a slider in the mid 80s, a curveball in the upper 70s, and a changeup 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

[ Source: Wikipedia ]