BRADENTON, Fla. -- Jared Oliva was the Pirates’ seventh-round pick in the 2017 Draft out of the University of Arizona. After a strong first full season in the Florida State League, he moved up to Double-A Altoona in '19 and overcome a slow start, batting .325/.387/.446 in the second half to garner Eastern League postseason All-Star honors. Oliva finished the regular season with a .277/.352/.398 slash line, 36 extra-base hits and 36 steals, then continued to perform well in the Arizona Fall League.

MLB Pipeline: As someone whose career began as a walk-on at Arizona, do you feel like you play with a chip on your shoulder?

Oliva: It definitely makes my story a little unique, being a walk-on. But you know what, I probably wouldn’t have it any other way. The life lessons that’ve been taught along the way -- things that you can’t teach without experience -- definitely makes me play with a little chip on my shoulder, but it also makes me realize just how fortunate I am to be where I am, having an opportunity to be [in Pirates big league camp]. If you had told me back in high school that I’d be in big league camp here with the Pirates, I probably would have laughed at you. It’s one of those things that I can look back on and realize how fortunate I am, that those coaches took a chance on me at Arizona. It’s a big reason why I’m here.

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MLB Pipeline: Having seen you play in last year’s Arizona Fall League, you seem like a hitter who has a good idea about what you’re trying to do at the plate, never trying to do too much. How do stay within yourself so well?

Oliva: Each level has taught me new things as a hitter -- just how to approach the game and not going up there just swinging. Last year, going from A-ball to Double-A, it was an adjustment for the first month-and-a-half. I struggled. But the second half I got really dialed in to things. It’s just staying true to who I am and knowing my game. I know I can barrel up the baseball and get on base and do my thing, run.

Now it’s about taking the next step, which is something I tried to do in the Arizona Fall League -- working on more consistently doing damage at the plate, and what that looks like with my body. That’s the next step in my baseball maturation, starting to tap into that power.

MLB Pipeline: Speaking of Double-A, what were the biggest differences you noticed between that level and the Florida State League?

Oliva: Playing in the Florida State League, you definitely had to learn to hit the fastball. Then when you got up to Double-A, the pitchers really knew how to command not only their fastball but their secondary stuff. Everything cleans up a little bit. So a lot of it was just understanding the game within the game; learn the situations, what they’re trying to do better; what different organizations are trying to do. It really just comes down to being a student of the game -- really preparing each day for what you have, tailoring your work to what you’ll see in the game. I feel like that’s why I had success in the second half, because I really bought into my work and preparation.

MLB Pipeline: After finishing on a high note in Double-A, how important was it for you to go and continue to improve in the Arizona Fall League?

Oliva: I wanted to make the most of my opportunity in the Fall League. You know the platform you’re on -- it’s exciting. I was really proud to represent the Pirates. And when I got there, it was almost like playing in my back yard. A lot more family and friends got to come out and see me play, which made it even more special.

You’re there with all these other organizations, just being able to collaborate with everyone, see what they’re working on. I was with some former college teammates. It was really cool as an experience all together to go through, building off of what I did in the second half and show what I can do against some of the other top players in the Minor Leagues.

MLB Pipeline: You got into some Spring Training games in each of the past two years, but this year is your first as an official non-roster invite. What has the experience been like for you so far?

Oliva: Being up here on the outfield side, I think I’m the only outfielder here who hasn’t played in the big leagues yet. I can look over and learn about all these guys' experiences -- I can talk to Jarrod Dyson, Gregory Polanco, Bryan Reynolds, Jason Martin. Just learning from them how to go about the game from the outfield side, what they learn, what they see, how to communicate.

It’s just cleaning up and fine-tuning things, which really is what Spring Training is for. But obviously with a new staff and everyone here, I want to show them what I can do so that they can get a better sense of who I am. That way, when the time comes, we’re ready to roll and contribute.

MLB Pipeline: Being around all those guys here in camp, do you feel like you’re right there on the cusp of the big leagues?

Oliva: It definitely gives you some perspective. In Double-A they always tell you that you’re closer than you think. The Fall League, the same thing. When you see a lot of those guys get invites to big league camp, you realize that you might be closer than you think. Now that you’re here, you look around the clubhouse and see a lot of established big leaguers. But at the end of the day it’s still baseball -- we all were invited here for a reason, because the Pirates think we can contribute to the big league team.

I was little anxious the first week, not going to lie. But now that things have settled in a little bit more and guys get established with their routine, it makes it more comforting, just being able to learn show up with a purpose each day.