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Bullpen Banter's Chicago White Sox 2012 Top 15 Prospects

Jared Mitchell, OF, Chicago White Sox Bats: L Throws: L HT: 6-0 WT: 190 DOB: October 13, 1988 In terms of pure tools, Jared Mitchell was one of the premier talents available in the 2009 draft. The 23rd overall pick, he earned a $1,200,000 bonus. He could have gone even higher if he had concentrated on baseball in college: he also played football, and didn't turn his attention towards baseball full-time until last spring. As a result, he was rather raw as college players go. Even so, he made dramatic improvements last spring, as his LSU numbers above show: note the improved power production along with a much higher walk rate last year compared to 2008. Mitchell is an amazing athlete with excellent speed and plenty of physical strength. He doesn't show much home run power yet, but many scouts think he'll develop at least 10-15 home run power to go with 40-50 steal potential. Unlike most raw tools players, Mitchell works counts and draws plenty of walks, boosting his on-base percentage. His swing is very smooth at times, but he goes through phases where he can't make contact, giving him a high strikeout rate that could be an issue as he moves up. He is still learning how to steal bases, and scouts have sometimes criticized his outfield routes, although I think the latter issue is overblown and reviews on his glovework in the Sally League were positive. He's intelligent and coaches praise his makeup and work ethic. I really like Mitchell a lot, and while he has work to do refining his game, his upside is very high and I think he's already made a great deal of progress refining it. My main worry is that the White Sox will rush him before he's ready. Grade B.