Givens Set to Play for Shorebirds

Hickory, N.C. - On Monday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles announced that Mychal Givens has been added to the Shorebirds roster. He joined the club in Hickory, North Carolina for game one of the series against the Crawdads on Monday night. He did not play in game one. Givens was the Orioles second round selection (54th overall) in the 2009 First Year Player Draft.

According to Baseball America, Givens is the ninth best prospect in the Baltimore Orioles system and one of the top position player prospects.

Following his junior campaign at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, Givens received the 2008 Jackie Robinson Award, which is given annually to the top rising senior in the county. Givens was also named the MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game, which was held at Wrigley Field. He tallied two hits in the game and also fanned two batters.

The 20-year old was a two-way player in high school. As a pitcher, Givens posted an 8-4 record with a 1.71 ERA, while as a shortstop, he hit .374 with four home runs and 31 RBIs. He was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 5A Player of the Year. Givens was also a Sun Times All Suncoast First-Team selection.

On April 17, 2009, Givens signed his contact with the Orioles at the eleventh hour before the deadline. He did not report to a minor league affiliate in 2009. The Orioles were able to lure Givens away from a commitment to play collegiately at Oklahoma State.

The Delmarva Shorebirds now have the top two Orioles picks from the 2009 First Year Player Draft. Right-handed pitcher Matt Hobgood was the Orioles first round selection (5th overall).

Tyler Kolodny was sent to Aberdeen to make room for Givens on the roster.

The Shorebirds square off with the Hickory Crawdads in game two of the series on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.