Garrett
Mitchell

8/9/16 - 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and a strikeout. Both doubles were absolutely smoked off the second baseman and Mitchell never slowed up, making the turn and hustling to second as the ball trickled into the outfield. Mitchell also scored three runs.

7/23/16 - 1-for-2 with a stolen base and squared up balls in both his at-bats. He singled up the middle in his first trip to the plate and then flew out to center as OF Joe Gray (Hattiesburg HS, MS) made a leaping catch to rob Mitchell of extra bases.

6/22/16 - Good bat speed, though he’s a little stiff in his lower half and doesn’t get much use out of it. Even so, he’s strong and makes hard contact. His arm should be an above-average tool in the future and he kept a low trajectory on his throws.

2020 DRAFT: Long regarded as a premium athlete, Mitchell has a package of tools that is tops in the college game. His performance blossomed during his sophomore season, showing as much improvement as anyone in the country and continued to polish his game this spring. With nearly a 23% K rate as a freshman, he cut it to 13% as a sophomore before dropping it even further to 4% and a .355/.425/.484 slash in 62 at-bats this spring. At the plate he has strong, quick hands...the type that does not let a fastball get by and will show plus to better raw power during batting practice. However, thus far he hasn't turned that BP juice into game production (career .154 ISO) as he takes a diving stride and cuts himself off, sapping his ability to drive the ball during game action. He's also a top-of-the-scale, power runner who digs in and really accelerates during his third-to-fourth stride out of the box. He has the ability to leg out infield base hits, consistently running 4.00-4.05 down the line and a 3.56 on a bunt for a base hit during the CNT Trials last summer. He's also aggressive and instinctive once on the bases, stealing 18 bags in 22 attempts last spring and 5-for-6 this season. Defensively, he shows a plus arm and range in the big field and projects to be a plus defender at the ML level. While Mitchell reminds me of Kirk Gibson in his physical size, tools and his aggressive, all-out playing style on the field, his draft status will be an interesting follow due to his health as a Type I Diabetic. Historically, there have been several pitchers, but very few position players with this disease who have been able to make a prolonged impact in the major leagues. The most widely known is Chicago Cub Hall of Famer, Ron Santo.

7/1/19: Long regarded as a premium athlete, Mitchell blossomed as a baseball player during his sophomore season, showing as much improvement as anyone in the country. Slashed .280/.337/.331 with nearly a 23% K rate as a freshman before posting a .362/.431/.592 line this spring, while cutting his K rate to 13%. From a narrow, upright and open stance in the back of the box, Mitchell starts with his hands high above his back shoulder, drops them down into his load and creates separation with his stride. He hits against a firm front side and showed good extension finishing with a high follow through. However, he cuts himself off with a diving stride, then pulls off the ball, drags his hands, losing leverage and ultimately power. He was second on the team with five hits during the Trials, but most were soft contact knocks as he legged out infield base hits with 4.00, 4.02, 4.03 home to first run times. He also had a bunt base hit and 3.56 run time down the line. He is a power runner who digs in and really accelerates during his third to fourth stride out of the box. He also showed an above average arm from center field, but was well off target, overthrowing his target the only time he was challenged in a game. He projects to be at least an above average defender at the ML level. Mitchell made the 24-man travel roster, but during the pre-game stretch to Game 1 vs Cuba felt a recurring injury and was sent home for further evaluation. His draft status will be an interesting follow due to his health as a Type I Diabetic. While there have been several pitchers, very few position players with this disease have been able to make an impact in the major leagues. Recent/current Type 1s are Sam Fuld and Adam Duvall, with the most widely known Hall of Famer, Ron Santo. (Seifert)

2/24/19: Reminds me of Kirk Gibson in his physical size, tools and aggressive, all-out playing style. At the plate he has strong, quick hands...the type that doesn't let a fastball get by. He showed progress in his hitting approach against righthanders since last March at the Big Ten/PAC-12 Challenge. He looked uncomfortable against lefties, repeatedly pulling off. Showed plus speed and aggressive base running, never hesitating going first to third on a fly ball that landed just out of reach of the left fielder. With continued development in his hitting, Mitchell is likely to be considered during Day One for the 2020 draft. (Seifert)

3/5/18: Freshman outfielder Garrett Mitchell is everything scouts look for; strong, athletic, five-tool potential. Average arm with plus accuracy, it plays up. Plus runner, ran a 4.09 on a 6-3 and a 3.75 on a bunt. Gets good jumps in the outfield, future plus defender. Above average raw power to his pull side. Dead pull approach with a stiff swing in the game. Loved his athleticism, but he has a long ways to go with the bat. If he figures it out, he’s a potential first rounder in 2020. (Seifert)