Indiana HS Player of the Week: Mitchell Dean

LHP Mitchell Dean (Western HS, IN), a 6-foot-7, 220-pound Louisville recruit, turned in a solid outing against the Nationals, striking out five of the first six he faced before giving up a couple runs and some hard contact in his third inning of work. He finished with seven strikeouts. He primarily used his fastball, which sat 88-92 in the first two innings and dipped to 86-88 at the end. The curveball has soft 2/8 shape at 72.

Louisville commit. Extra tall, extra lean, high waist body frame. Has long limbs. Very good body structure to fill out in future. Chance to be strong and agile athlete in future. Square shouldered, with long arms, big feet and large hands. Has good overall body control and coordination. Starts his delivery from far left side of rubber. This creates tough angle for LH hitters and a sweep effect to his angle to RH hitters. Tough on both, due to his 6’7 inch height. Has erect posture, and straight actions. Hands and glove positioned in front of his chest. Has a short side step quarter turn that leads to a very fluid high leg kick. Hands and glove separate ball with good timing to his leg kick and continued flow to front side. Has a H ¾ arm slot that gets to a very good extension point out front as he creates a down ward plane to his delivery. His leg stride is in a very good spot. Has slight, fight resistant front side that creates torque and arm speed. Hitters feel like the ball is on top of them quicker due to his delivery, arm slot with extension. FB has good riding action through zone. Good pitch command. CB has short dart tilt that is consistently around the plate that allows him to work the count in his favor. Has complete control and command of his game. Repeated well for the young big size that he features and his upside is extremely high. As game went along, he was able to establish a rhythm and tempo that suited his abilities and made it very tough on the other team. This young man has a very bright future and will continue to impress as he naturally matures over time. FB 82-85, T87 averaged 83 – appears faster. CB 70-71 tight dart spin and accurate. When he incorporates a changeup pitch, more in mix, he will then, just be that much harder to compete against. Arrow is pointing up in correct direction. Strong chance to pitch as a starter at the next level and beyond. 

Mitchell Dean, Western, 2023, IN

Position: LHP/1B

Body: 6-foot-5, 183-pound projectable frame

Hit: Starts in a tall stance with a small load, then uses a controlled stride just before his swing. Explosive bat speed. Level finish, level swing. Advanced hitter.

Power: 91 mph exit velocity. pull side approach. 

Defense: Infield, Sure hands, smooth footwork, natural exchange. Projectable. 

Arm: 81 Infield velocity. Loose arm action, ¾ slot, consistent accuracy. 

Speed: 7.64

Pitching: Projectable. Tall-and-fall delivery, some effort. ¾ arm angle, some arm speed, long arm action. Tall balance point, even shoulders, lands square, a clean finish.

FB: T85. 83-84 mph. Running action, in the zone accuracy, tight movement. 

CB: 66-69 mph. Sweeping action, occasional control, 11/5 movement. 

CH: 67-68 mph. Fading action, low in the zone control, sharp movement. 

Western High School, Class of 2023; 6-foot-3, 155-pound LHP/1B. During batting practice, the switch hitter recorded an exit velocity of 81 mph. He starts in a balanced stance with his knees slightly bent. His hands are even with head before he starts his rhythmic load. Showed a small leg kick and an uphill swing plane. He ends his swing with a high, two-handed finish. In the infield, his best throw was registered at 72 mph. He is very athletic at first base and moved well to all balls. He played hard throughout the day and made fielding look easy. He recorded a 60 time of 8.48 at the event. On the mound, he showed a quick, clean arm action from an over-the-top slot. He hides the ball in his delivery and locates all pitches for strikes. Breaking ball is sharp. Got hitters to chase, producing groundballs. He sat with his fastball at 73-75 mph and topped out at 76 mph. He showed the ability to locate his curveball for a strike at 60-63 mph.

6-foot, 142-pound left handed pitcher. Started on the mound against Pro Player Canes on Sunday. Pitched four innings and gave up no runs, struck out six and walked no one. Highly projectable lanky frame with long limbs. High ¾ arm slot and lands slightly closed on his finish. His fastball showed slight cut and sat at 74-76 mph, topped at 77 mph. His curveball had 2/8 action, 59-60 mph.