Bivens aims to be beacon for those with Type 1 diabetes

This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz -- It’s hard not to be inspired by Spencer Bivens' remarkable journey to the Majors.

He began his professional career in France and pitched in the independent leagues before signing with the Giants as an undrafted free agent three years ago. When he finally got his long-awaited callup on Father’s Day last year, he was less than two weeks shy of his 30th birthday. Still, Bivens continued to impress once he arrived, logging a 3.14 ERA over 27 appearances (two starts) for the Giants in 2024.

His improbable rise has now given him a platform to share another element of his story: Bivens also has Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder where the pancreas makes little or no insulin. The chronic disease means Bivens has to manually regulate his own blood sugar by regularly taking insulin and adjusting his diet to keep his glucose levels within a healthy range.

Bivens has been living with Type 1 diabetes since he was 14 and still remembers how daunting it felt when he found out he’d have to manage the condition for the rest of his life.

“It was tough,” Bivens said. “I was looking at it more like cancer devastating. Obviously, it’s not that bad. But it’s an extreme change. Once you kind of get used to that change, it becomes way easier. But it’s scarier at first than it actually is going forward.”

Bivens doesn’t have to look far in the Giants’ clubhouse to find someone who can relate. Flamethrower Jordan Hicks was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 17 and dubbed himself the “Diabetic Phenom” as a way to show that the condition doesn’t have to hold you back. Their shared experience created a natural touchstone when they first became Giants teammates last year.

“We pick each other’s brains,” Hicks said. “It’s more like, ‘Hey, you got a needle for me? I left mine at home.’ I got you.”

The Giants are perhaps better positioned than most to support players with Type 1 diabetes. Manager Bob Melvin’s daughter, Alexi, was diagnosed with Type 1 at 14, so he understands the challenges the condition can present for players, especially given baseball’s grueling schedule.

“Just add that in to everything he has to go through,” Melvin said of Bivens. “The travel can be tough when you have to bring your insulin. It’s just another facet that makes him a very appealing person. He doesn’t talk about it much and just wants to do his thing, but it’s an incredible story. Aside from that, he’s become a really good pitcher and a really valuable pitcher.”

Behind the scenes, players like Bivens and Hicks have another staunch advocate in Dr. Shana Alexander, a fellow Type 1 diabetic who is now in her sixth year as the Giants’ sports psychologist and director of mental health and wellness.

“I actually feel really passionate about the Type 1 community because I’m a Type 1 as well,” Alexander said. “I was diagnosed later in life [at 27], and I’m thankful for that because I see children and college students really struggle with kind of going through different transitions with it.

“As a Type 1 diabetic, it’s really nice to have support and guidance from somebody who lives it as well. Any time we have a Type 1 player that we sign, I always try to reach out to them and introduce myself. I’ll let them know that I’m a Type 1 as well and just let them know that we have several players and a little community, and I want to support them.”

Alexander still remembers the pride she felt when she watched the Giants and A’s face off at the Coliseum on Aug. 17, 2024, and saw three Type 1 diabetics -- Bivens, Hicks and left-hander Scott Alexander -- take the mound in the same game. One of her ongoing missions is to try to create an MLB-wide support group for other members of baseball’s Type 1 community, which also includes A’s closer Mason Miller, veteran outfielder Adam Duvall and Phillies executive Sam Fuld.

“It’s been really cool to see these guys be so open about it because these young kids can look up to them and recognize there aren’t limitations when it comes to Type 1 diabetes,” she said.

Like Hicks, Bivens wants to continue to inspire other Type 1 diabetics and has gotten involved with Beyond Type 1, a non-profit organization that offers educational resources and provides space for members of the global diabetes community to share their stories. Bivens and Hicks were recently featured in one of Beyond Type 1’s Instagram posts to serve as yet another powerful example of what's possible.

“I know how scary it was for me when I was a kid,” Bivens said. “I thought, ‘Oh, my life is over.’ So to be able to be out here with Hicks, it’s cool. It’s cool to be some sort of role model or [someone who people] aspire to be like.”