The infield or the mound? That was the question in 2009 for Mychal Givens

Would he get drafted as a position player or a pitcher? That was a good question, and heading into the First-Year Player Draft in 2009, Orioles reliever Mychal Givens wasn't sure of the answer.

Back then, were there more teams looking at him as a shortstop or a pitcher?

"I have no idea," Givens said as he pondered that question recently in the Orioles clubhouse. "That is hard to answer that. But all 30 teams did ask me if I wanted to be a pitcher or a position player. My answer was always the same - whatever gets me to the big leagues. It didn't matter if it was as a position player or pitcher. I told the teams you all can make that decision."

A talented young man from Plant High School in Tampa, Fla., here is the Baseball America scouting report on Givens before that 2009 draft:

Givens started making noise as a prospect after his freshman season in high school, and he hasn't stopped. A veteran of the Aflac and Under Armour games from last summer, Givens has been evaluated at a national level repeatedly. Over time, he has evolved as a prospect, going from hitter to pitcher and back again.

He has a strong, athletic body and physical frame, with elite tools including one of the best arms in the draft. He's reached 97 mph off the mound in short bursts and still shows above-average velocity from a low arm slot, pitching Plant High deep into the state playoffs. While some scouts do like him better on the mound, most see him as a reliever and see more value as a position player. He has strength and good hands that should allow him to hit for power down the line, though his swing will need tweaking. Defensively, Givens isn't smooth at short but has first-step quickness and plenty of arm. His Oklahoma State commitment isn't considered a significant impediment to him signing in the first three rounds.

With the 54th overall pick in that draft, then Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan selected Givens and signed him to an $800,000 bonus. Then the call was made - he would begin his pro career in the infield.

"At first they announced me as a pitcher, but Joe Jordan called me immediately and told me they would be using me at shortstop. I was a high prospect as an infielder. He told me if anything goes wrong and they needed to, they could put me back on the mound."

How much did Givens pitch in high school?

"I pitched all four years," he said. "My first two years my coaches were really safe how they used kids. My first two years I probably pitched maybe 10 innings both seasons and closed out some games. My junior and senior year, that is when I started some games."

Givens spent three seasons on the O's farm at shortstop, never rising past Single-A Delmarva. He hit .247 with a slugging percentage of .311 in 907 at-bats. Then the call was made to move full-time to the mound.

The Orioles knew they had to be conservative and cautious in converting Givens back to pitching. He threw 43 innings in 2013 at Delmarva and his outings were scripted - that is they knew which exact days he would pitch and when and how many days of rest he would get in between appearances. In 2014, he threw 59 innings between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie.

It was during the Arizona Fall League after last season and again during the O's pitching mini-camp in January in Florida that Givens made some small tweaks to his delivery that produced big results.

In 2014 at Bowie, his walk rate was 8.2 batters per every nine innings with a strikeout rate of 10. After making adjustments that allowed him to more easily repeat his sidearm arm slot, this year with the Baysox his walk rate was 2.5 and he fanned 12.4 batters per every nine innings.

For the Orioles Givens has been impressive. Over 13 games he is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA. In 17 2/3 innings, he has allowed 13 hits with two walks, 22 strikeouts and a .197 average against.

He began his O's career on the infield, but the move to the mound is paying off as Givens looks like he should be a key contributor to the club and bullpen in 2016 and beyond.