Brian Givens
Encyclopedia
Brian Allen Givens is a former major league baseball pitcher who played for two years—1995 and 1996—for the Milwaukee Brewers
.
Givens was known most for being a replacement player
who crossed picket lines during spring training
in 1995 while the 1994 Major League Baseball strike was still going on. He also was notable for having endured five arm surgeries—including Tommy John surgery
before making his major-league debut.
in Aurora, Colorado
.
in 1984 in the 10th round of the now-defunct January amateur draft. He began his minor-league career immediately after high school, starting out at the Rookie league level with the Kingsport Mets
in the Appalachian League
in 1984. Givens went 4-1 for Kingsport, making 14 appearances, striking out 51, walking 52, and posting a 6.50 earned-run average.
In 1985, Givens split the season between two teams: the Short season
Single-A league Little Falls Mets
in the New York - Penn League
and the full season A league Columbia Mets
in the South Atlantic League
. Givens did well, going 3-4 with a 2.93 earned-run average in 11 appearances with Little Falls, and going 1-2 with a 2.95 earned-run average in three appearances with Columbia.
The following year, Givens pitched for the Columbia Mets for the entire season, posting an 8-7 record with a 3.77 earned-run average in 27 games.
In 1987, Givens actually briefly rose to the Triple-A International League
level, pitching for one game with the Tidewater Tides (and posting a 0-1 mark with a 24.55 earned-run average from that one game; his outing lasted just three and two-thirds innings) but spending almost the entire season at the "High-A" level with the Lynchburg Hillcats
. In his time with Lynchburg, Givens went 6-8 with a 4.65 earned-run average in 21 games.
In 1988, Givens spent the entire season with the Jackson Mets
in the Class AA Texas League
, going 6-14 with a 3.78 earned-run average in 26 games. During the season, however, Givens' elbow popped, requiring a surgery to move his ulnar nerve and taking five miles an hour off his fastball. The following year, Givens pitched largely for the Jackson Mets again, going 3-5 with a 3.39 earned-run average in 13 games. He also pitched for one game in 1989 with the St. Lucie Mets
in the High-A Florida State League
, posting an 0-1 mark with no earned-run average in a five-inning stint.
In 1990, Givens returned to Tidewater, posting a 4-6 mark with a 4.12 earned-run average in 15 games. Partway through the season, on June 19, 1990, Givens was traded to the Seattle Mariners
' Class AAA Calgary Cannons
team in exchange for Mario Diaz, after Givens had arm trouble. Givens wound up going 0-1 with a 12.71 earned-run average in two games with Calgary, with his elbow blowing out in his second start at Calgary. The Mariners alleged that the Mets knowingly had peddled damaged goods, but the trade held out. Givens underwent a second arm surgery that revealed a stress fracture of the ulna bone.
The following year, Givens suffered more injury trouble. He threw in one game with San Bernardino in the California League
, going 1-0 with a 1.80 earned-run average. He then pitched in just three games with Calgary, going 1-0 with a 4.91 earned-run average, before blowing out a ligament. This required a third surgery—this time Tommy John surgery
-- in August 1991.
In early 1992, Givens developed a tender spot on the outside of his elbow, opposite of the surgery, requiring arthroscopy. While still rehabbing, Givens was released by the Mariners on June 2, 1992. On August 6, 1992, he was signed by the Kansas City Royals
organization. He pitched in seven games for the Memphis Chicks
, who at that time were the Royals' Class AA minor-league club in the Southern League
. Givens posted no record and a 3.24 earned-run average, and wound up needing another arthroscopy to remove four large chips.
In 1993, Givens again pitched for Memphis, going 1-3 in 14 games with a 4.58 earned-run average. He also threw in four games for the Royals' team in the Gulf Coast League
, going 0-1 with a 3.38 earned-run average. On October 15, 1993, Givens filed for free agency. On December 8, 1993, Givens was signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox
.
Givens spent the entire 1994 season with the White Sox's Birmingham Barons
team in the Southern League
, playing alongside basketball great Michael Jordan
. While at Birmingham, Givens went 4-7 with a 3.68 earned-run average in 36 games.
On October 31, 1994, Givens was signed as a free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers
.
After the 234-day players strike ended in before the 1995 baseball season ever officially began, Givens was sent to the Brewers' Class AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
ballclub, where he worked with pitching coach and former major-league relief pitcher Bill Campbell, who taught Givens a slider and helped him to improve his changeup.
As had been the case with his teammate Ron Rightnowar
, there was some bitterness toward Givens by the major-leaguers because of his role as a replacement player. "I've spent 11½ years in the minor leagues, I have a mortgage and two kids to feed," he told the Sporting News in 1995. "I had to pay my bills, and I couldn't see quitting not after what I've been through." However, Givens also said given the chance to do it again, he would not have been a replacement player. "Now that I'm here and I see how everything works, I regret what I did," Givens said in July 1995. "I was really undecided and didn't want to do it, then I said I would. One thing about this team, there's a bunch of really good guys here. Maybe they're not all going to be our best friends off the field, but when we're on the field they're going to support us like we support them." In a different interview, Givens went one step further, dismissing the talent level of some of his fellow replacement players. "At the time, it's what I had to do," he told the Seattle Times in July 1995. "I told everyone on the team that. Of course, I regretted the decision. But I had to take care of my family. Those games were a joke. The talent level was horrible. To put myself in the same shoes with guys off the street made me sick. It wasn't really baseball."
At age 29, Givens made his big-league debut on June 24, 1995, pitching well in a loss. In his second game, Givens was shelled. "I would have sent him back to the minor leagues if I had somebody else to replace him with," the Brewers' manager, Phil Garner
, told the Sporting News. "His problem was he wasn't throwing his breaking ball for strikes. We got him to be more aggressive. He responded. I changed my opinion on him." Givens earned his first major league win on July 16, 1995. "There are a lot of guys who make it to the big leagues despite injuries or a lot of time served in the minors," Givens said shortly after his first big-league win. "It just so happens persistence paid off for me. I'm just very fortunate, with all my operations, I can still throw the ball the way I can." Givens finished his rookie big-league season with a 5-7 record and a 4.95 earned-run average in 19 games.
Givens pitched for one more season in the majors—in 1996, when he went 1-3 with a 12.86 earned-run average in four games. He had begun the season on a 30-day rehabilitation assignment with New Orleans after injuring his back in his final throwing session at home in Aurora, Colorado
the day before he left for 1996 spring training. After his 30-day rehab assignment, Givens unexpectedly ended up staying longer in AAA instead of being promoted to the major leagues. "I was chapped at the time," Givens said of his frustration with not being called up sooner in 1996. "I didn't pitch well the first few games, then I finally got my head on straight." Givens was called up in June and was hit hard in four starts. While at New Orleans in 1996, however, Givens pitched well, going 10-9 with a 3.02 earned-run average. He filed for free agency on October 15, 1996, after he and the Brewers decided to part ways by mutual agreement.
In 1998, Givens returned to North America, pitching for the Shreveport Captains in the Double-A Texas League
.
Givens has two children: a son, Bryce; and a daughter, Bailey. Bryce Givens plays football for the University of Colorado at Boulder
.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Givens was known most for being a replacement player
Replacement player
In professional sports, a replacement player is an athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a strike or lockout.- National Football League – 1987 :...
who crossed picket lines during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in 1995 while the 1994 Major League Baseball strike was still going on. He also was notable for having endured five arm surgeries—including Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
before making his major-league debut.
Early life and education
Givens graduated from Overland High SchoolOverland High School
Overland High School, located in Aurora, Colorado, and part of the Cherry Creek School District, opened in 1978.Overland High School is a comprehensive public, suburban, college-oriented institution. Overland High School is accredited by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and...
in Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
.
Minor-league career
A left-handed pitcher, Givens was drafted by the New York MetsNew York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in 1984 in the 10th round of the now-defunct January amateur draft. He began his minor-league career immediately after high school, starting out at the Rookie league level with the Kingsport Mets
Kingsport Mets
The Kingsport Mets are a minor league baseball team based in Kingsport, Tennessee, United States. The team, which plays in the Appalachian League, is a Rookie League affiliate of Major League Baseball's New York Mets....
in the Appalachian League
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was a Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee...
in 1984. Givens went 4-1 for Kingsport, making 14 appearances, striking out 51, walking 52, and posting a 6.50 earned-run average.
In 1985, Givens split the season between two teams: the Short season
Short season
Short season refers to a form of class A minor league baseball in which only about 75 games are played each season, as opposed to the typical 140 games for an affiliated minor league team at a higher level...
Single-A league Little Falls Mets
Little Falls Mets
The Little Falls Mets were a minor league baseball team located in Little Falls, New York. The team played in the New York - Penn League, and were affiliated with the New York Mets. Their home stadium was Little Falls Veterans Memorial Park...
in the New York - Penn League
New York - Penn League
The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early...
and the full season A league Columbia Mets
Columbia Mets
Located in Columbia, South Carolina, the Columbia Mets were affiliated with the New York Mets from 1983 to 1992. A member of the South Atlantic League, they became the Capital City Bombers in 1993. They played in Capital City Stadium.-Year by Year Record:...
in the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
. Givens did well, going 3-4 with a 2.93 earned-run average in 11 appearances with Little Falls, and going 1-2 with a 2.95 earned-run average in three appearances with Columbia.
The following year, Givens pitched for the Columbia Mets for the entire season, posting an 8-7 record with a 3.77 earned-run average in 27 games.
In 1987, Givens actually briefly rose to the Triple-A International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
level, pitching for one game with the Tidewater Tides (and posting a 0-1 mark with a 24.55 earned-run average from that one game; his outing lasted just three and two-thirds innings) but spending almost the entire season at the "High-A" level with the Lynchburg Hillcats
Lynchburg Hillcats
The Lynchburg Hillcats are a minor league baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia. They are a Class High-A team in the Carolina League, and currently are a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. They had been a farm team of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 1995, with the Cincinnati Reds fulfilling the final...
. In his time with Lynchburg, Givens went 6-8 with a 4.65 earned-run average in 21 games.
In 1988, Givens spent the entire season with the Jackson Mets
Jackson Mets
The Jackson Mets were a professional baseball team based in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1975 through 1990. As of 2010, they are the longest-tenured club to be based in the Jackson metropolitan area...
in the Class AA Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, going 6-14 with a 3.78 earned-run average in 26 games. During the season, however, Givens' elbow popped, requiring a surgery to move his ulnar nerve and taking five miles an hour off his fastball. The following year, Givens pitched largely for the Jackson Mets again, going 3-5 with a 3.39 earned-run average in 13 games. He also pitched for one game in 1989 with the St. Lucie Mets
St. Lucie Mets
The St. Lucie Mets are a minor league baseball team based in Port St. Lucie, Florida.The team, which plays in the Florida State League, is the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club.The team plays at Digital Domain Park...
in the High-A Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
, posting an 0-1 mark with no earned-run average in a five-inning stint.
In 1990, Givens returned to Tidewater, posting a 4-6 mark with a 4.12 earned-run average in 15 games. Partway through the season, on June 19, 1990, Givens was traded to the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
' Class AAA Calgary Cannons
Calgary Cannons
The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for 18 seasons, from 1985 until 2002. They were a member of the AAA Pacific Coast League and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons replaced the Calgary Expos who played in the rookie level Pioneer League...
team in exchange for Mario Diaz, after Givens had arm trouble. Givens wound up going 0-1 with a 12.71 earned-run average in two games with Calgary, with his elbow blowing out in his second start at Calgary. The Mariners alleged that the Mets knowingly had peddled damaged goods, but the trade held out. Givens underwent a second arm surgery that revealed a stress fracture of the ulna bone.
The following year, Givens suffered more injury trouble. He threw in one game with San Bernardino in the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
, going 1-0 with a 1.80 earned-run average. He then pitched in just three games with Calgary, going 1-0 with a 4.91 earned-run average, before blowing out a ligament. This required a third surgery—this time Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
-- in August 1991.
In early 1992, Givens developed a tender spot on the outside of his elbow, opposite of the surgery, requiring arthroscopy. While still rehabbing, Givens was released by the Mariners on June 2, 1992. On August 6, 1992, he was signed by the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
organization. He pitched in seven games for the Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
, who at that time were the Royals' Class AA minor-league club in the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
. Givens posted no record and a 3.24 earned-run average, and wound up needing another arthroscopy to remove four large chips.
In 1993, Givens again pitched for Memphis, going 1-3 in 14 games with a 4.58 earned-run average. He also threw in four games for the Royals' team in the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
, going 0-1 with a 3.38 earned-run average. On October 15, 1993, Givens filed for free agency. On December 8, 1993, Givens was signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
Givens spent the entire 1994 season with the White Sox's Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox major-league club....
team in the Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
, playing alongside basketball great Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
. While at Birmingham, Givens went 4-7 with a 3.68 earned-run average in 36 games.
On October 31, 1994, Givens was signed as a free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Replacement baseball
In early 1995, the Brewers asked Givens to be a replacement player. Although he did not originally say yes, he wound up doing so to help pay for a mortgage debt. "I needed money and couldn't get it anywhere else," he told the Sporting News in 1995. "That was it, basically."After the 234-day players strike ended in before the 1995 baseball season ever officially began, Givens was sent to the Brewers' Class AAA New Orleans Zephyrs
New Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
ballclub, where he worked with pitching coach and former major-league relief pitcher Bill Campbell, who taught Givens a slider and helped him to improve his changeup.
Major-league debut and career
After pitching well with New Orleans, where he posted a 7-4 record and a 2.55 earned-run average in 16 games, Givens was promoted to the Brewers.As had been the case with his teammate Ron Rightnowar
Ron Rightnowar
Ronald Gene Rightnowar is a former major league baseball player who played for one year—1995—for the Milwaukee Brewers....
, there was some bitterness toward Givens by the major-leaguers because of his role as a replacement player. "I've spent 11½ years in the minor leagues, I have a mortgage and two kids to feed," he told the Sporting News in 1995. "I had to pay my bills, and I couldn't see quitting not after what I've been through." However, Givens also said given the chance to do it again, he would not have been a replacement player. "Now that I'm here and I see how everything works, I regret what I did," Givens said in July 1995. "I was really undecided and didn't want to do it, then I said I would. One thing about this team, there's a bunch of really good guys here. Maybe they're not all going to be our best friends off the field, but when we're on the field they're going to support us like we support them." In a different interview, Givens went one step further, dismissing the talent level of some of his fellow replacement players. "At the time, it's what I had to do," he told the Seattle Times in July 1995. "I told everyone on the team that. Of course, I regretted the decision. But I had to take care of my family. Those games were a joke. The talent level was horrible. To put myself in the same shoes with guys off the street made me sick. It wasn't really baseball."
At age 29, Givens made his big-league debut on June 24, 1995, pitching well in a loss. In his second game, Givens was shelled. "I would have sent him back to the minor leagues if I had somebody else to replace him with," the Brewers' manager, Phil Garner
Phil Garner
Philip Mason Garner is a former infielder in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988...
, told the Sporting News. "His problem was he wasn't throwing his breaking ball for strikes. We got him to be more aggressive. He responded. I changed my opinion on him." Givens earned his first major league win on July 16, 1995. "There are a lot of guys who make it to the big leagues despite injuries or a lot of time served in the minors," Givens said shortly after his first big-league win. "It just so happens persistence paid off for me. I'm just very fortunate, with all my operations, I can still throw the ball the way I can." Givens finished his rookie big-league season with a 5-7 record and a 4.95 earned-run average in 19 games.
Givens pitched for one more season in the majors—in 1996, when he went 1-3 with a 12.86 earned-run average in four games. He had begun the season on a 30-day rehabilitation assignment with New Orleans after injuring his back in his final throwing session at home in Aurora, Colorado
Aurora, Colorado
City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...
the day before he left for 1996 spring training. After his 30-day rehab assignment, Givens unexpectedly ended up staying longer in AAA instead of being promoted to the major leagues. "I was chapped at the time," Givens said of his frustration with not being called up sooner in 1996. "I didn't pitch well the first few games, then I finally got my head on straight." Givens was called up in June and was hit hard in four starts. While at New Orleans in 1996, however, Givens pitched well, going 10-9 with a 3.02 earned-run average. He filed for free agency on October 15, 1996, after he and the Brewers decided to part ways by mutual agreement.
After major-league baseball
In 1997, Givens signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan. "If you think you're going to be stuck in AAA, you can go make some money in Japan," Givens said in 2005. "It can be pretty lucrative if you do well." Givens ended the 1997 season with a 4-6 record and a 5.10 earned-run average.In 1998, Givens returned to North America, pitching for the Shreveport Captains in the Double-A Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
.
Personal
While playing in the minors, Givens operated an off-season carpet cleaning business.Givens has two children: a son, Bryce; and a daughter, Bailey. Bryce Givens plays football for the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.