Outfielder Jared Oliva, who leads the Cactus League with 13 stolen bases, is in the running to win a job with the Giants.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jared Oliva is a 30-year-old non-roster invitee who hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2021.
And yet here he is, with Cactus League play ending Saturday, still in the San Francisco Giants’ camp and with a shot to make the roster. He’s a bit of a long shot, sure, but even if Oliva starts the season at Triple-A Sacramento, he’s very much on the radar if the team has a need for an outfielder — or a pinch runner.
Oliva leads the Cactus League with 13 steals, and he’s been caught just once. He’s batting .351 after a two-double night Thursday, and his sprint speed is in the top 20 in the majors; he’s faster, right now, than Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, for instance. One scout this spring called Oliva “a disruptor, a disturber, a creator of chaos.” Manager Tony Vitello called Oliva a player who “can impact the game.”
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So why has he been bouncing around from minor-league teams to Mexico to the Dominican Republic? Well, that’s sort of Oliva’s entire vibe — he must constantly fight to get chances. He was a backup his entire time at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, even.
“I just couldn’t crack the roster,” Oliva said. “We had a really talented team.”
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He walked on at Arizona. “Like a fresh start kind of thing, a new scene, and I worked hard and made the team and then kept chipping away,” Oliva said. “By the time I was a junior, things came together.”
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Oliva hit .321 that season, and the Pirates took him in the seventh round of the MLB draft. He was called up in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and got into six games; the next year, he got 40 at-bats. It was less a cup of coffee than a demitasse.
As he has tried to work his way back to the big leagues, Oliva — pronounced “OLIV-ah,” it’s derived from a Czech name — focused on his strength, his speed.
“Being able to run is something I’ve always been able to do,” he said. “But really, the last couple of years, it’s been an opportunity to put pressure on the defense, not just stealing bases, but causing havoc.
“You can’t outrun the ball, there’s obviously the right times, the right situations to test it. But, yeah, this is a valuable asset. If you’ve got something, then use it to your advantage to help the team win.”
In doing so, Oliva has made himself very much a possibility for the Giants, who plan to push the action on the bases this season, and other teams have taken note. He’s an intriguing bench consideration — five years after his last big-league shot. Vitello has noted that Oliva plays all three outfield spots well and that his speed and defense profile well for Oracle Park.
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“I think everyone here believes they can play in the big leagues and believes they can contribute,” Oliva said. “I’m right there with them. I got an opportunity with the Pirates and things didn’t work out, timing-wise, and I just don’t think I was in a position to best succeed. I wasn’t ready when I was called upon.
“That’s always something I’ve wanted to get back, because I believe I can help a team win. I believe what I do can be valuable. Call it chasing the dream, calling it believing in yourself, but I am super fortunate to get that opportunity here.”