Jeffrey Hammonds

Jeffrey Bryan Hammonds

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School Stanford University
• High School Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
• Debut June 25, 1993
• Final Game May 25, 2005
• Born March 5, 1971 in Plainfield, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jeffrey Hammonds was a teammate of Mike Mussina at Stanford University. He was selected as Baseball America's Freshman of the Year in 1990, batting .355 with 48 stolen bases. He had a 37-game hitting streak that tied him with Clemson University's Brian Kowitz for longest of the season.

Hammonds competed for the United States at the 1991 Pan American Games (Bronze Medal) and 1992 Barcelona Olympics and batted .414 in the 1992 Games. Hammonds was looked at as a potential #1 pick overall in the 1992 amateur draft, but his contract demands were too high and scared off the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians and Montreal Expos. The Baltimore Orioles took Hammonds 4th overall and awarded him with a $975,000 signing bonus, the second-highest ever at that point. He was the first 1992 draftee to make the majors, a little over a year after the draft, and had a double and two-run home run in his first start.

He ended up playing 13 seasons, but overall his career was a disappointment. After hitting .305 in 33 games in his first season, he only reached the .300 mark once afterwards. Similarly, he didn't hit double figures in homers until his fifth season, 1997, when he hit 21 for the Orioles. He had one outstanding season playing for the Colorado Rockies in 2000 when he took full advantage of Coors Field to hit .335 with 30 homers 94 runs and 106 RBIs. He converted this into a lucrative free agent contract offer from the Milwaukee Brewers, but never approached those numbers again - not even close - in his last five seasons.

His brother, Reggie Hammonds, played in the minors in the 1980s.

As of 2007, he had re-enrolled at Stanford and was finishing up his degree in History.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (2000)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1997 & 2000)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (2000)