OAKLAND -- In the wake of his return to the A's, much has been made of Jason Giambi's potential influence on young hitters such as outfielder Travis Buck and fellow first baseman Daric Barton.

Buck, 25, and Barton, 23, are two of Oakland's most promising left-handed hitters, and Giambi is expected to share with them and others the tricks of the trade he's picked up over 14 years in the big leagues.

It's an angle likely to draw attention all season.

But while it's been noted that Giambi's own production at the plate -- mainly his ability to blast balls through the heavy marine layer that taunts sluggers at Oakland Coliseum -- will be a boon to A's pitchers, one aspect of his return that hasn't gotten much play is how his knowledge might benefit the team's mostly young and inexperienced staff.

During a phone conversation with MLB.com on Thursday, Giambi, 38, said he'll be more than happy to share with A's pitchers -- and catchers -- what he's learned from intently observing various American League hitters.

"Definitely," Giambi said. "No doubt about it. I love to watch guys hit, period. I do it all the time in the dugout. And when you do that so much, you can pick up a lot of information about guys and their approach, what they do or don't handle really well in certain counts and situations.

"Joba used to pick my brain like that a lot, and I was happy to help him out -- just like I tried to with the young kids the first time I was with the A's."

Joba, of course, is Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees' prized 23-year-old righty was a teammate of Giambi's during the last two of the latter's seven seasons in the Bronx.

"He'd ask about how to work out, how to approach a certain guy," Giambi said. "There's a lot of times I can go, 'Hey, this guy is sitting all over your slider there. Let's see if you can get a high fastball by him next time.' Things like that."

The "young kids" to which Giambi referred are Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito. All in their early 20s when they burst onto the scene during the last few of Giambi's career-opening seven seasons in Oakland, they became known as the "Big Three" while helping the A's reach the playoffs four years in a row (2000-2003).

"It was the same thing with Huddy, Mulder and Zito," Giambi said. "They were great, talented young pitchers, and those are the guys that make your team go. So anything you can do to help them out is going to benefit everyone. And the A's right now have a bunch of talented young pitchers, too."

Among the current crop is record-setting reliever Brad Ziegler, who set an all-time mark by throwing 39 consecutive scoreless innings after making his debut with Oakland last May.

Told of Giambi's willingness to give the pitching staff pointers, Ziegler gushed, "Hearing something like that from a guy like Giambi really pumps me up."

"I haven't really had any hitters give me much advice," Ziegler continued. "Maybe a little bit in the Minors, but we're talking about a guy who's been around the league for so long and has seen and accomplished so much. You'd be crazy not to soak up every little thing he has to offer you, especially if you're someone just getting started in the big leagues."

Giambi also said he'll do what he can to help Kurt Suzuki, who is entering his second full season as Oakland's starting catcher, accelerate the process of learning hitters' tendencies around the league.

A's manager Bob Geren, a first-round Draft pick of the Padres in 1979 who played in parts of five seasons as a catcher with the Yankees and Padres, said Hall of Famer Dave Winfield did for him what Giambi plans to do for Suzuki.

"Winfield was awesome," Geren said. "He was one of my heroes when I was growing up, and he was with the Padres when I was drafted and kind of took me under his wing. Then I played in the big leagues with him with the Yankees, and he was very helpful. He'd tell me things during a game like, 'Don't double up on that pitch with this guy. He'll set you up.'

"It's actually on the rare side that a hitter spends a lot of time focusing on other hitters. Usually, a hitter is focusing on the pitchers he's going to face. But it doesn't surprise me that Jason is one of those rare guys; he's such a smart hitter, such a smart baseball player in general."

Giambi seems intent on being a smart teammate, too.

"It's going to be the same kind of thing we had when I was here before," he said. "We're only going to go as far as those young guys take us. It's gonna be fun to offer these kids whatever I can give them."