Position: OF
Born: 10/13/88
Ht: 6'0" Wt: 190 B-T: L-L
Acquired: Drafted 1st Round in 2009 from LSU (23rd overall)
Career Stats
FutureSox Prospect Rankings
- #5 - 2009 Midseason
- #6 - 2009 Postseason
- #5 - 2010 Preseason
- #5 - 2010 Midseason
- #4 - 2010 Postseason
- #5 - 2011 Midseason
- #11 - 2012 Preseason
Accolades
- 2010 White Sox Fastest Baserunner (Baseball America)
- 2010 White Sox Best Athlete (Baseball America)
- 2010 White Sox Best Defensive Outfielder (Baseball America)
- 2011 White Sox Best Athlete (Baseball America)
- 2012 White Sox Best Athlete (Baseball America)
Scouting report
The first thing to mention about Mitchell is his superb speed. His MLB.com draft day scouting report said "Everything about his game, except his speed, is a projection." He was considered raw for a three year college player, but is an excellent athlete. Like previous first rounders Joe Borchard and Josh Fields, he played football in college. Mitchell was a wide receiver for three years at LSU and won a national title. He showed a lot of improvement each year as a member of the LSU baseball team (that also won a national title) and was named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series. He showed a decent amount of power his last year in college, but doesn't project to be a big power hitter and is still considered raw in that area. Mitchell tore a tendon in his left ankle after crashing into the wall in spring training 2010, forcing him to miss the whole season. He returned to action in the Arizona Fall League that year and showed his rust, struggling mightily. Since then Mitchell has shown signs of returning to form, but he swings under a lot of balls, racking up strikeouts. His walk rate is decent, but he can be too passive at the plate. Defensively, he is quickly improving in the outfield because his speed allows for him to cover a lot of ground. Mitchell will play centerfield in the minors so he can improve at the position, but some scouts think his lack of arm strength may force him to left. On the base paths, he needs to improve on the finer points of stealing bases and post-injury we haven't seen him test this in games. Mitchell has struggled against lefties in college and as a pro. The former Tiger has a lot of upside, but the injury has really hampered his development.
Major League Outlook: Anywhere from future leadoff hitter to 6-7 spot in the order
ETA: 2014
