Jared Christopher Mitchell (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who is a free agent. He was drafted by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

, where he was the

College World Series Most Outstanding Player The College World Series Most Outstanding Player is an award for the best individual performance during the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The recipient of the award is announced at the completion of the College World Series Championship ...

in 2009.

Amateur career

Mitchell attended

Westgate High School Westgate High School is a high school in unincorporated Iberia Parish, Louisiana Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a populatio ...

, 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 Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

(LSU) after being selected by the club in the 10th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Mitchell played for both the

LSU Tigers baseball The LSU Tigers baseball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. It ranks seventh overall with 18 College World Series appeara ...

team and the

LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football program, also known as the Fighting Tigers, represents Louisiana State University in college football. The Tigers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Th ...

team. He was awarded the

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 Chad Jonathon Jones (born 15 June 1984) is an Australian rules footballer currently listed with the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL), having previously played for the and the West Coast Eagles in the Au ...

. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play thei ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Mitchell was drafted in the first round ( overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the

. 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. He began his professional career with the

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...

, the Class A affiliate of the White Sox. He finished the season with a .296

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 12 doubles, two triples, no

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s, 10

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

, 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 High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

ball for the

Winston-Salem Dash The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games a ...

in North Carolina. 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 Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League. Later in the 2012 season, Mitchell was promoted to

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

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, and was added to the White Sox 40-man roster after the season. On May 3, 2015, Mitchell was released by the White Sox.

Los Angeles Angels

Mitchell signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

on May 16, 2015. After signing with the Angels, Mitchell played for the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

of the Class AA

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

and

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark o ...

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 The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

signed Mitchell to a minor league contract on February 4, 2016. Mitchell was assigned to the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the ...

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.

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.

Cincinnati Reds

On December 6, 2017, Mitchell signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. 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 The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

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 The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

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 The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Eastern Reyes del Tigre

In July 2020, Mitchell signed on to play for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players. History The league consisted of ...

(a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the

) for the 2020 season.

High Point Rockers (second stint)

On May 11, 2021, Mitchell signed with the

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the season. On April 21, 2022, Mitchell re-signed with the Rockers for the 2022 season. Mitchell appeared in only one game for High Point, going 0-for-3 with a walk, before he was released on April 28.https://www.atlanticleague.com/stats/transactions/

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

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Jared 1988 births Living people African-American baseball players People from New Iberia, Louisiana Baseball players from Louisiana Baseball outfielders LSU Tigers baseball players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players College World Series Most Outstanding Player Award winners LSU Tigers football players Kannapolis Intimidators players Winston-Salem Dash players Birmingham Barons players Peoria Saguaros players Charlotte Knights players Glendale Desert Dogs players Arkansas Travelers players Salt Lake Bees players Trenton Thunder players New Jersey Jackals players York Revolution players Sugar Land Skeeters players High Point Rockers players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people