Prospect Uniformed: White Sox Outfielder Jared Mitchell in His Every MiLB Jersey, Plus More on His Strikeouts

By MiLB.com

Jared Mitchell is fast, so naturally people expected him to move fast … through the White Sox’s system. That hasn’t happened due to injuries and stunted development. Mitchell, the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 Draft, is now 24 and Chicago’s fifth-ranked prospect entering his fifth season of pro ball, what he hopes will be his third full season of pro ball.

The sheer speed and athleticism that helped Mitchell (bio, stats here) excel as a college football receiver has shown up in Mitchell’s outfield defense, baserunning ability and, occasionally, his gap-to-gap power at the plate. He remains a mystery as a hitter, however. In 259 games spread over three clubs — Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte — the last two seasons, he has batted .230 and struck out a whopping 362 times. Those are not ingredients of an everyday Major League outfielder.

Mitchell is too good at too many things, however, to not ultimately reach and contribute in the bigs. If the Sox think his bat will never fully develop, they could make him a fourth or fifth outfielder as early as Opening Day. Could he have already played his last day in the Minors?

Here is a gallery of Mitchell in every uni he’s donned to date. Click on any picture to begin the slideshow. For all past editions of Prospect Uniformed, head here.

(On a related note: Ashley Marshall, my MiLB.com colleague, has been teasing his LSU baseball products-turned prospects story — a story that involves Mitchell — over @AshMarshallMLB. Look for it on MLB.com next Wednesday, Feb. 20).

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