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A Conversation With Plant's Mychal Givens

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

TAMPA - Plant High baseball standout Mychal Givens has a pretty busy schedule this summer, and it includes appearances in two national all-star games that will take place in well-known major-league baseball venues.

Givens will play in the Aflac All-American Baseball Game at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, and the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Chicago's Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs.

Givens, a rising senior shortstop/right-handed pitcher who is regarded as one of the nation's top prospects for the 2009 MLB draft, was at Tropicana Field on July 6 to be recognized for his selection and to receive his game jersey for the Aflac All-American game, scheduled for Aug. 9 and set to be televised live on Fox Sports Net.

The Under Armour All-America game, formerly known as the Cape Cod High School Baseball Classic, is Aug. 17 on ESPNU.

How does it feel to have the opportunity to be able to participate in both of those prestigious all-star games?

It's a great opportunity for me to be able to play against some of the best players in the country, to meet new kids and to play in the major-league stadiums, and to have a good atmosphere in the stadium and be in a stadium that I hope to play in in a couple of years.

What's the biggest thing you're hoping to gain from being in these two games?

Pretty much just seeing how it feels to be playing in these big all-star games and playing in the major-league stadiums.

Both these games are on television and in big stadiums. Are you comfortable being on a stage like that?

That doesn't really faze me. I've played in stadiums with a lot of people there before, like when I played in the Pan Am Games with Team USA's Youth and Junior National teams. I don't know how many fans were there, but there were a lot.

It's funny you should bring up those Team USA days, because the other day I ran across your baseball card. Not many kids your age have their own baseball card, and if they do it's probably one of those knockoffs you get in the booth at the state fair. When you first found out you would be on a card, what was the first thing that came to your mind?

The first thing that came to my mind was, 'Wow, this is a big surprise.' At a young age like I am, I never thought I would be on a card until maybe I was older. But it never hurts to start early, I guess.

What do you think a Mychal Givens card is worth? What could you trade it for?

(Laughing) Not much, yet.

You recently played in the Perfect Game National Showcase in Minneapolis, and you were ranked among the top performers both as a position player and as a pitcher. Not too long ago, Baseball America rated you as one of the top prospects for the 2009 MLB draft. How does that make you feel being so highly regarded? Does it make you nervous at all or put any pressure on you?

Not exactly. I have a lot of friends like Eric Hosmer, who got drafted in the first round of June's MLB draft, and Michael Burgess, who got drafted two years ago in the supplemental first round, and I look up to them and they've been a big influence on me. They tell me you should live every day like it's your last day, your last game, and you should go out there and play hard. It's a great opportunity to be ranked near the top of my class. I never really look at that, though. I just go out to prove to everybody that the reason why you're out there is to go out and have fun.

Adam Adkins

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