Orioles manager Buck Showalter pores over the club's minor league reports every day, looking to find any morsel of information that could help him evaluate the farm system. One recent report from Double-A Bowie describing reliever Mychal Givens' outing piqued his growing curiosity in the 25-year-old right-hander.
Bowie pitching coach Alan Mills described Givens' outing with superhuman qualifications.
"He said Bruce Banner started the inning and The Incredible Hulk showed up once somebody got on base," Showalter said with a chuckle. "And I knew exactly what he was talking about."
Mills said that was the best way to describe Givens on that night, when the reliever was able to elevate his game when under pressure, his fastball going from 92 mph to 98 mph.