Notes on Givens and Orioles assistant hitting coach

Orioles reliever Mychal Givens will attend the team's minicamp next month in Sarasota. He offered confirmation yesterday on MLB Network Radio.

Givens isn't a minor leaguer in need of assessment and he isn't recovering from an injury or surgery. However, he was expected to make the drive again from his Tampa home and start the bonding process with new pitching coach Roger McDowell. He also will be reunited with bullpen coach Alan Mills, his former pitching coach at Double-A Bowie.

Givens, 26, also said he's looking forward to working with new catcher Welington Castillo, though he's going to miss Matt Wieters. Maybe Castillo will mention the Sept. 25 game at Camden Yards when Givens accidentally drilled him with a pitch over the course of two scoreless innings.

It was the only way the Diamondbacks could make contact. Givens didn't allow a hit and he struck out four of the seven batters he faced.

With closer Zach Britton's historic season and Brad Brach's sensational first half, it's easy to overlook how Givens went 8-2 with a 3.13 ERA and 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings over his 66 appearances. He helped to fill the void while Darren O'Day made two stops on the disabled list.

Givens is 10-2 with a 2.75 ERA and 1.156 WHIP in parts of two seasons with the Orioles spanning 88 games. He's averaging 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings as a continuing work in progress after making the transition from minor league shortstop to pitcher in 2013.

The matchups with left-handers need to swing more in Givens' favor. They batted .366/.464/.561 against him this year. Right-handers batted .156/.262/.242.

"If he gets a little bit more consistent with his off-speed stuff against lefties, he's going to be able to close, too. And he's young, he's a tiger," executive vice president Dan Duquette said earlier this month.

"You saw how he pitched against the Blue Jays. Seven up, seven down in the playoffs. He went right through that lineup at a time when it really counted, and I've just got a lot of faith in Mychal Givens that he's going to develop into a closer, too."

Manager Buck Showalter mentioned this month that Givens has "another level" he's capable of reaching, in part because the right-hander gained more confidence in one of his off-speed pitches.

"We just got him to where he'd throw his changeup the last month of the season and defend himself against left-handed hitters," Showalter said. "He was stubborn with it, but finally he started having some success with it. Mychal has got a chance to go to another level, too."

The Orioles' minicamp roster hasn't been announced, but outfielder Joey Rickard, catchers Chance Sisco and Austin Wynns and pitcher Richard Rodriguez are expected to report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Pitcher Logan Verrett, the former Rule 5 pick acquired from the Mets for cash considerations, also could attend.

* Howie Clark, who spent the 2016 season as Double-A Bowie's hitting coach, is expected to be hired as the Orioles' new assistant hitting coach.

Clark is the leading candidate in a field that also includes Lenny Harris and Brant Brown, the former major league outfielder and minor league hitting coach who currently works as the Mariners' minor league outfield coordinator. Nothing is official, but it looks good for Clark, who spent 2015 as Single-A Delmarva's hitting coach before moving up to the Eastern League.

Clark would replace Mark Quinn, who decided to go back to the hitting academy he owns in Houston. His contract expired on Oct. 31 after one season as Einar Diaz's replacement.

The Baysox could be faced with two openings on their staff if they lose Clark, who appeared in 14 games with the Orioles in 2002, batting .302/.362/.396 in 58 plate appearances, and seven games in 2006. They still need a pitching coach to replace Mills.

The Orioles haven't announced their minor league staffs, but Butch Davis would be the likely replacement for Clark. He was Bowie's field coach before serving as Twins first base coach for the past two seasons.

Kennie Steenstra figures to move up from Single-A Frederick and replace Mills at Bowie.

* Catcher Nick Hundley confirmed on MLB Network Radio that his agent engaged in extensive talks with the Orioles before they signed Castillo.

The Orioles' interest in Hundley already was known, but they rated Castillo ahead of him.

"We talked to the Orioles a lot," said Hundley, who remains unsigned.