Outfielders with an average arm are not typically looked at on day one of the MLB draft. But, most of those outfielders do not rate a 70 speed grade. Garrett Mitchell does, and that speed could prove lucrative to him on draft day.
Garrett Mitchell 2017 MLB Draft Profile
Overview
Mitchell is a six-foot, two-inch tall 200-pound center fielder from Orange, California. He played his prep baseball at Orange Lutheran, where he earned Rawlings-Perfect Game 1st Team All American honors for 2017. Mitchell won further honors — named to the California – All Region 1st team his Senior year. He verbally committed to UCLA after his sophomore year, but the right offer would keep him off campus and going to work in the farm systems.
Strengths
Mitchell is quick and fast. At the PG Classic game he clocked a sub-4.00 batters box to first base. For comparison, Billy Hamilton averaged 3.95 seconds from the box to first in 2015. He is exceptionally quick. Meanwhile his 60-yard dash was a super quick 6.35, or just a tick faster than the great speedster Rickey Henderson‘s 6.4. Needless to say, he’s also fast.
Meanwhile, he has raw bat-speed and power, charting an exit velocity of 92 miles per hour. His routes in the outfield need some work, but if he can get it figured out, he should become an above-average if not elite defender.
His diet is phenomenal, and he takes good care of himself — a necessity as he has been managing Type I Diabetes since he was nine years old. He also possesses skills to learn, posting a 3.2 GPA at Orange Lutheran while playing for multiple teams. If he is able to focus on baseball alone, he charts as the potential of being an outright beast on the field.
Weaknesses
He reportedly didn’t change his swing from little league until he started in the showcase circuits. Suddenly advise came from all angles, and it has caused some issues. He typically has a simple load and shift at the plate, but he started dipping his shoulder sometimes giving more uppercut to his swing. With his ridiculous speed, he should be following the advice given to Willie Mays Hayes in the film ‘Major League’. “Hit it on the ground and run it out.” Because if not mentioned earlier enough, he’s fast.
