When Mychal Givens’ career as a shortstop started to plateau in the Minor Leagues in 2011, the Baltimore Orioles sent him to Australia to get extra at-bats.
Ten years later, Givens was the Cincinnati Reds’ biggest trade deadline acquisition as a relief pitcher. The Reds traded for him just over a week ago, and he has pitched three scoreless innings. On Tuesday, he saved the game for the Reds in the eighth inning with an inning-ending double play, and he hasn’t allowed a run in a Reds uniform.
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But in 2011, he was just trying to figure it out as a hitter. In Australia.
“I was a young kid, I had a unique development opportunity, but it is what it is,” Givens said. “Everybody takes different paths to get to the big leagues.”
Givens said it was great playing for the Perth Heat in an Australian winter ball league. He went over with a few of his teammates in the Baltimore Orioles organization, and he experienced a new lifestyle as he tried to figure out his path to the big leagues.
The Orioles drafted Givens in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft as a shortstop. In his early Minor League career, he played in a standout infield with future big league starters Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop.
“It was the best infield defense I ever played with,” Givens said.
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But in 2010, Givens chipped a bone in his hand off the ligament while sliding into second base. In 2011, he hit .195 in High-A ball.
That winter, he went to Australia as he tried to find a rhythm.
“They wanted me to have more at-bats,” Givens said. “I tore it up in Australia, it was fun playing out there. I got to meet a different culture of baseball. The fact that to be in a different country and get to explore and be around people you’ve never been around, I got to see their culture.”
Givens had a full season in A-ball in 2012, but he hit .243 with a .635 OPS in 2012. At the end of the season, the Orioles presented him with a different plan.
Givens said he still isn’t sure why Baltimore did it, but the organization converted him into a pitcher.
“They told me to pitch,” Givens said. “Nothing to it. It was just like that, you’re pitching. I took it as a positive path and a new journey for me. I didn’t look back.”
Givens hadn’t pitched since May 25, 2009, when he was on the mound for his high school’s state championship game.
His fastball, change-up and slider worked for him in high school. Fortunately for Givens, they still worked for him.
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“No one is ever good right away, but I pitched in high school, so it wasn’t a new thing to me,” Givens said. “It clicked when it clicked. It was a time to get your feet wet riding the bike again and getting used to pitching again.”
Givens learned from some of the veteran pitchers in the Orioles organization to develop a routine. In 2013, he had 36 strikeouts in 28 games in A-Ball. In 2014, he had a 3.91 ERA and even more strikeouts in Double-A.
By the end of the 2015 season, he was in the big leagues. With the Orioles, Givens was a part of a standout bullpen with relievers like Zack Britton, Brad Brach and Darren O’Day.
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In 2021, Givens has become the veteran the Reds are leaning on to bring stability in the last few innings of the game when the team has the lead. Manager David Bell immediately put Givens in high-leverage situations, and Givens has already made an impact.
“He has the experience and stuff, he definitely has the deception,” Bell said. “You talk about confidence, he’s a guy that really steps in and believes in himself, has been through it before and has had a lot of success. He’s been a great addition.”
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