SF Giants officially extend camp invite to former undrafted free agent

The SF Giants called up minor league reliever Spencer Bivens from minor league camp at the end of February. However, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports that the Giants have extended him an invite to major league camp.

SF Giants officially extend camp invite to former undrafted free agent

It is not uncommon for teams to pull from their minor league camp when they need some coverage at a position. The Giants do it all the time and this is especially true for split-squad games during spring training.

However, Bivens impressed during the three games in the Cactus League as well as during the exhibition games that take place on the minor league fields.

Bivens has not taken the traditional path of a minor leaguer. He attended Rogers State University in Claremore, Oklahoma. He posted a 3.21 ERA while working primarily as a starter in college, but did not get drafted.

For the next couple of seasons, the righty pitcher appeared in the Washington League, the Frontier League, and the Atlantic League. None of these leagues are affiliated to the majors, so its tough for a pitcher to get noticed, especially one who did not get drafted.

However, the 29-year-old landed a minor league deal with the Giants after three scoreless outings with the Gastonia Honey Hunters in 2022. This is your regular reminder that minor league teams simply have the best names in sports.

Across two levels, Bivens tallied a 3.95 ERA with 48 strikeouts against 22 walks in 43.1 innings after joining the Giants organization. He received a surprise invite to the Arizona Fall League and allowed just one earned run with 11 strikeouts in 10.1 frames for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

The right-handed hurler continued to perform well in a high-usage bullpen role last year, posting a 3.68 ERA in 33 outings. This includes a 3.69 ERA in 78 innings with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

On the mound, Bivens flashes a sinker-slider combination. The sinker sits in the low-to-mid 90's and gets good armside movement. In college, his fastball sat the in low 90's, but the velocity spiked as a pro after putting on 20 pounds of muscle.

Bivens does not have a draft pedigree whatsoever, so he has had to perform at every stop to continue his playing career. He has thrived since joining the Giants organization and he is being rewarded for that now with an invite to major league camp. Given his success in Double-A last year and now the camp invite, it is fair to say that he is on the Giants' radar.