Jared Mitchell (baseball)

Jared Christopher Mitchell (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He played college baseball at LSU, where he was the College World Series Most Outstanding Player in 2009.

Jared Mitchell
Free agent
Outfielder
Born: (1988-10-13) October 13, 1988
New Iberia, Louisiana
Bats: Left Throws: Left

Biography

Mitchell attended Westgate High School, where Baseball America picked him as the third-best high school athlete and 43rd-best overall high school baseball prospect in the nation for 2006.

Mitchell turned down a $700,000 signing bonus from the Minnesota Twins in order to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) after being selected by the club in the 10th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.[1]

"They came at me hard but kept [the offer] around the same as the original," Mitchell said. "I had a number in my head, and they never got there. It's a great organization; things just didn't work out when we had a chance to do something. Who knows what will happen three years down the line?"

Mitchell played for both the LSU Tigers baseball team and the LSU Tigers football team. He was awarded the College World Series Most Outstanding Player for his play during the 2009 College World Series which was won by the LSU Tigers. He also played on the 2007 LSU BCS National Championship football team as a wide receiver. He is a rare two-sport college national champion along with LSU baseball and football teammate Chad Jones. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Mitchell was drafted in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox.[3] White Sox scouting director Doug Laumann was familiar with Mitchell because he played the previous two summers in an amateur league near Laumann's Cincinnati-area residence.[4] He began his professional career with the Kannapolis Intimidators, the Class A affiliate of the White Sox. He finished the season with a .296 batting average, 12 doubles, two triples, no home runs, 10 runs batted in, 5 stolen bases, 23 walks, and 40 strikeouts in 115 at bats.

On March 16, 2010, Mitchell underwent surgery to repair a tear of the tendon in his left ankle; he missed the entire season. He returned to play in 2011 in Class A-Advanced ball for the Winston-Salem Dash in North Carolina.[5] He finished the 2011 season batting .222 AVG, 31 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 9 HRs, 58 RBI, 14 SBs, 52 BBs and 183 Ks in 477 at bats. In 2012, Mitchell moved up to the Birmingham Barons of the Class AA Southern League. Later in the 2012 season, Mitchell was promoted to Charlotte Knights of the Class AAA International League. Mitchell finished the 2012 season hitting a combined .237 AVG, 24 2Bs, 13 3Bs, 11 HRs, 67 RBI, 21 SBs, 78 BBs and 179 Ks in 455 at bats. Mitchell started the 2013 season with Triple-A Charlotte but after hitting .132 AVG in his first 53 at bats, he was demoted back to Double-A Birmingham. He finished the 2013 season between AAA and AA batting .167 AVG, 8 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 5 HRs, 23 RBI, 17 SBs, 51 BBs and 123 Ks in 300 at bats. Despite the poor season, Mitchell started the 2014 season at Triple-A Charlotte, but was demoted to Birmingham,[6] and was added to the White Sox 40-man roster after the season. On May 3, 2015, Mitchell was released by the White Sox.[7]

Los Angeles Angels

Mitchell signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on May 16, 2015. After signing with the Angels, Mitchell played for the Arkansas Travelers of the Class AA Texas League and Salt Lake Bees of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League during the 2015 season. On November 7, 2015, Mitchell elected free agency.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees signed Mitchell to a minor league contract on February 4, 2016. Mitchell was assigned to the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League. After his walk off homer against the Richmond Flying Squirrels on May 17, 2016, Mitchell was released by Trenton.[8]

York Revolution

On July 2, 2016, he signed with the York Revolution. During the 2017 season, Mitchell helped lead the team to a championship victory, clocking 122 games with a .295 average and .380 OBP. He slugged .489 with an .869 OPS, as he hit 34 doubles, 3 triples, and 14 homeruns, swiped 24 bases and walked 55 times. He averaged one strike out per game, a considerable improvement from previous years.[9]

Cincinnati Reds

On December 6, 2017, Mitchell signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds.[10] Mitchell's release on March 22, 2018 came as a surprise to everyone, as he was hitting for an average of .360 with 2 homeruns, 2 doubles, 3 walks, 4 rbi, and 2/2 stolen bases with only 5 Ks in 25 at bats during Spring Training on the Reds’ Triple A team.

Return to York Revolution

On April 11, 2018, Mitchell signed with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On April 15, 2019, Mitchell signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was released on July 16, 2019.

High Point Rockers

On July 31, 2019, Mitchell signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the season. On April 8, 2020, Mitchell re-signed with the Rockers for the 2020 season, but didn't appear in any games as the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eastern Reyes del Tigre

In July 2020, Mitchell signed on to play for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the Constellation Energy League (a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) for the 2020 season.

Awards
  • 2008 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
  • 2008 Second-Team All-Louisiana
  • SEC Freshman of the Week (Feb. 26, 2007)
  • 2009 College World Series Most Outstanding Player

References
  1. "LSU freshman courted by Twins will play football". ESPN. Associated Press. August 15, 2006. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  2. "2008 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  3. Cowley, Joe (June 9, 2009). "White Sox select outfielder Jared Mitchell". Sun-Times News Group. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  4. Gonzales, Mark (June 9, 2009). "White Sox draft LSU's Jared Mitchell with first pick". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  6. http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2014/08/jared_mitchell_feature.html
  7. White Sox release former 1st-round pick Jared Mitchell, sign Tyler Colvin
  8. Todd, Jeff (May 24, 2016). "Minor MLB Transactions: 5/24/2016". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  9. http://alpb.bbstats.pointstreak.com/team_transactions.html?teamid=3614&seasonid=30100. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. "Reds' Jared Mitchell: Agrees to terms with Cincinnati". cbssports.com. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
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