by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Perfect Game.
The Pittsburgh Pirates own the #1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft which is scheduled for July 9th-July 11th in Seattle, WA. This draft could be the final piece of GM Ben Cherington’s puzzle to catapult the Bucs into a yearly contender.
In the next few weeks, Draft 412 will showcase the top prospects coming out in 2023.
Name- Blake Mitchell
Pos-C B-L T-R
Team- Stinton H.S. (TX)
HT/WT- 6’1” 202 lbs.
Born- 8/3/2004
Home – Sinton, TX
Blake Mitchell is having another big high school season with Stinton High School. He is hitting .452 with 6 home runs and what is even more staggering is he has walked 63 times and struck out 9 times. Mitchell has been a consistent force at the plate, hitting .465 and .447 in his other two varsity seasons.
Mitchell also has a fastball that hits 97 mph. Some scouts think he has the stuff to stay on the bump, but most agree that catcher is the best place to show off his cannon. He has 19 appearances over his high school career and has some gaudy numbers, 7-0 with a 0.69 ERA and has 96 strikeouts in a little over 50 innings. Not too shabby for his “second” position.
Prep catchers can at times scare teams from selecting them in round one. With Mitchell, though, it is hard to find any faults in his game.
At the plate, Blake Mitchell works counts and will take his walks. He has a quick bat that generates big time power from the left side of the plate. Mitchell digs in and is not afraid to get hit by a pitch or two to establish his ground. Not just a pull hitter, he will take an outside fastball and hit it 400 feet to left center field. He's the complete package at the plate.
Behind the dish, Mitchell plays like a veteran, way above his years. He's an athletic catcher who moves around and blocks everything. Warning to runners who try and run on him, Mitchell has a cannon. Clocked at 97 mph on the mound, Mitchell has a quick release and the mechanics to be a solid backstop for years to come.
On the bases, Mitchell has above average speed, especially for a catcher. Mitchell has the baseball IQ to become a leader for an organization behind the plate.
If you had to nit-pick, Mitchell does not have the smoothest of swings and he has a lot of movements which could be exploited in pro ball.
Watching videos of Blake Mitchell, Draft 412 sees a lot of Brian McCann in his game.
Final Analysis
The best prep catcher by far and away in this draft class, and he rivals the college catchers coming out as well. Mitchell should go in the top 15 of this draft and supply an organization with a future backstop for years.
Round 1- Top 15/ #10 on Draft 412’s big board.