Mychal Givens was a big-time prospect on the radar of many scouts coming out of Plant High School in Tampa, Florida back in 2009 after attending an Under Armour Southeast Tournament in 2007 and then making an appearance in the Under Armour All-America Game as a junior in 2008.

When Mychal was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, the organization focused more on his ability to hit and field than what his arm could do on the mound as he played second base, short stop and third base as an offensive prospect in the minor leagues between 2010 and 2012. Givens held his own, hitting .263 in 1,220 plate appearances between two minor league levels.

After spending the first three seasons of his professional career using the bat and glove, the O’s converted him to a reliever, skyrocketing his value from Double-A all the way to the majors, where, over the weekend the organization selected Givens contract, officially putting him on the 40-man roster, as he joined the team in Toronto for their series against the Blue Jays.

Givens throwing during the 2008 Under Armour All-America Game.

Back in ’08, Givens shined in the All-America Game, showing a fastball as a right-handed pitcher that day that touched 97 mph to go along with a solid change and a breaking ball that he has developed in less than three seasons as a reliever in the Orioles organization.

It wasn’t until the 2013 season that the Orioles realized the potential talent and value of Mychal’s arm on the mound and began grooming him in a reliever role. In his first full season as a converted reliever, Givens pitched for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds, utilizing the same blazing fastball and secondary pitches that made him an exciting two-way player at the All-America Game in ’08.

Givens is unique in that his delivery is as unique as they come, throwing from a three-quarters sidearm slot that allows fastballs that touch the upper 90’s to jump on hitters quickly.

Brian Graham, the Orioles’ director of player development, recently told MASNSports.com’s Roch Kubatko that the ball Givens throws makes life difficult for hitters from both sides of the plate. 

“The ball has a lot of life, down and in to right-handers and down and away to left-handers,” Graham told Kubatko. “And then he throws a slider that goes in the other direction. As a hitter, it’s hard on you when a guy makes the ball go in two directions.”

Givens has yet to make his major league debut for the O’s, but figures to be an important piece for the team the rest of this season and in the future as he continues his improvements as a reliever.