Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Andrew Mitchell Born: 11/09/1991 (Age: 22)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 225

Very well proportioned, athletic body; power pitcher’s build with a durable base and well-defined thighs; though the body is athletic, his delivery is not, displaying very stiff and awkward actions throughout; his arm action is short and he keeps it hidden well behind his body, loading his arm perpendicular to second base after an initial plunge to his back hip; he releases the ball from a high three-quarters slot, exhibiting some downhill plane when working low in the zone; the exaggerated arm slot causes some head jerk toward first base, and Mitchell lands on a very firm, unbent front leg, causing him to pitch against his leg as opposed to over it; opens up early and displays poor separation between his two halves, causing the ball to be visible for an extended period; combined with the above mechanical flaws, this leads to major control issues; 1.35-1.5 seconds to the plate from the stretch.

Evaluator	Ethan Purser
Report Date	05/14/2014
Affiliate	Kannapolis Intimidators (Low A, White Sox)
Dates Seen	4/26/2014
OFP	50
MLB ETA	2016
Video	No

Pitch Type	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
Fastball	55	90-94	95	Fastball ranges from 90-94 mph, touching 95, with decent arm-side life when he stays on top of it; will drop his arm slot to three-quarters on occasion and drop in a two-seamer in the 89-91 range; showed ability to hit both corners and work east/west when staying on top of the ball; lost velocity throughout the start and was consistently in the upper-80s by his last inning of work; left far too many fastballs up and to the arm side; above-average velocity with well below-average command/control in this look; velocity should tick up and could play plus in shorter stints (read: out of the bullpen); 55-grade future offering out of the bullpen with plus or better velocity and a below-average command profile with limited projection in this regard.
Curveball	65	79-81	82	Curveball has swing-and-miss potential in the 79-82 mph range; break ranged from 12-6 to 11-5, falling off the table and displaying late downward break; showed better command of the breaking ball than the fastball, though he did leave a few up and spinning to the arm side; pounded the lower-half of the zone with the offering and showed the ability to generate whiffs both in and out of the zone; overmatched hitters at this level; currently above-average, projected to be a 65-grade future offering in shorter stints and with more repetitions as he climbs the ladder.
Changeup	40	83		Threw one changeup in six-inning outing; showed some arm-side run and fade at 83 mph; hard to give a grade based on one look at a pitch, but hesitancy to throw through six innings should give some indication at his comfort with the pitch and the overall quality thereof; below average future offering; will probably be scrapped at the behest of the FB/CB out of the bullpen.

Though he got the start in this particular look, Andrew Mitchell is a bullpen arm all the way with the ceiling of a late-innings reliever (7th inning) due to the potential efficacy of the fastball/curveball combination. The command/control of the fastball is a concern and is likely to downgrade his overall role to middle relief. The curveball is a weapon at present and will play at plus or better at the highest level thanks to sharp, late break and decent command of the pitch.