Jared Oliva starts, gets first MLB hits with Pirates

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Speed has always been one of Jared Oliva’s best tools, so fittingly it’s what got him his first career major league hits.

The former Wildcat notched two infield singles on Thursday as he made his third straight start in the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here’s career hit No. 1:

#Pirates No. 10 prospect Jared Oliva goes up the middle for his first big league hit. pic.twitter.com/KyRsutqrEr

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 24, 2020

The 24-year-old was 0 for his first 7 before that base knock. He crushed the ball in his third at-bat of the game, but lined out to the right fielder.

Oliva is a career .274 hitter in the minors after hitting .321 as a senior at Arizona in 2017.

Here are some more tidbits about Oliva, a former walk-on who apparently became the 19,887th player to reach the MLB when he was called up on Monday:

19,887th player in MLB history: Jared Oliva

- teammates at Valencia HS in CA w/ Keston Hiura
- 7th round pick in '17 out of Arizona (was teammates w/ Kevin Newman, Scott Kingery, Bobby Dalbec)
- solid in AA, great in Arizona Fall League in '19
- plus speed; 30+ SB in '18 & '19 pic.twitter.com/ZNmT1fyRs3

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) September 22, 2020

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