The Brewers have selected the contract of outfielder Garrett Mitchell and placed outfielder Jonathan Davis on the 10-day IL with a right elbow effusion, the team announced. It will be the first taste of the majors for Mitchell, a former UCLA star and Milwaukee’s first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2020 amateur draft. Alex Jackson was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a 40-man roster move.
Mitchell has spent much of his season at the Double-A level this season, hitting .277/.353/.428 over 187 plate appearances. This earned him a promotion to Triple-A for the first time, with Mitchell responding by delivering even more offense (.343/.435/.466) in 85 PA. Unfortunately, Mitchell also missed about two months on the injured list due to an oblique strain, but he has made up for lost time with his strong Triple-A performance and now on the verge of his MLB debut.
A leg injury also limited Mitchell’s first pro season to 64 minor league games (roughly split between high-A and Double-A ball) in 2021, so simply staying healthy has been a bit of an issue for the 23-year-old. His lack of hitting progress was also some concern, as scouting reports for both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline indicated that Mitchell hit too many grounders and didn’t exhibit enough power. To this end, Mitchell’s offensive numbers could be fueled more by some excellent batted-ball luck — a .378 BABIP at Double-A and a .444 BABIP at Triple-A.
However, Mitchell also has the elite speed that lends itself to high BABIP numbers. Both Pipeline and BA give him 80-grade speed, and between those wheels and an excellent glove and throwing arm, Mitchell’s defense already seems more than Major League-caliber. This is good news for a Milwaukee team that has been looking for a regular center fielder, and with Tyrone Taylor also exhibiting some good glovework, the Brewers could use Mitchell and Taylor in a lefty/righty platoon that could at least solidify things defensively up the middle.
