It’s the Sunday prior to the 2017 MLB amateur draft. There is no game scheduled at Marlins Park, but a crowd forms in the right-field bullpen. Even as the big league team struggles on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami’s front office can celebrate a small victory—they finally get to see Matt Givin up close.
The right-hander has flown across a couple time zones to pitch in front of Marlins scouting director Stan Meek and more than a dozen of the club’s talent evaluators. They surround him in a U-formation.
But Givin feels strong and confident on the mound.