Mitchell Arnold
| IP | 102 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.118 |
| WHIP | 1.637 |
| BB/9 | 6.794 |
| SO/9 | 9 |
- Full name Mitchell Scott Arnold
- Born 01/31/1982 in Morrisonville, IL
- Profile Ht.: 6'8" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Modesto Junior College
- Drafted in the 23rd round (689th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2001.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Growing up in Saratoga, Wyo., Arnold was more interested in rodeo than baseball, and he also was recruited to play football. The Angels tabbed him as a draft-and-follow out of New Mexico Junior College in 2001, and he transferred to Modesto before signing in May 2002. Following two uninspiring seasons in the Arizona League, Arnold blossomed last season. He made strides with his control and sharpened his stuff. He went to Triple-A in May as an emergency callup, and returned to extended spring training and committed himself to throwing strikes. Arnold joined Provo a month later and led the Pioneer League in saves. He learned to stay on top of his pitches, pitching downhill from his towering 6-foot-9 frame at 92-93 mph. His fastball peaks at 97 and he successfully kept it down in the zone. He improved the control of his out pitch, an 88-91 mph splitter. He also has a slider. Arnold has good mound presence, though he works too quickly at times, causing his mechanics to go awry. He can be effectively wild and make young hitters uncomfortable, but he'll have to add more polish at higher levels. Arnold profiles as a reliever and embraced his role as a closer, though he'll need to build off his breakout campaign. He'll pitch in Class A in 2005, possibly starting at Cedar Rapids if Bob Zimmermann goes to Rancho Cucamonga as expected.
Minor League Top Prospects
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In his third season of pro ball, Arnold finally took steps toward realizing his potential as a late-inning reliever. PL hitters couldn't handle him, batting just .112 with one homer against him. The 6-foot-8 Arnold throws downhill with a fastball that sits at 92-93 mph and touches 96. He complements his heater with a nasty split-finger fastball. "This guy's not fun to hit off of," Provo manager Tom Kotchman said. Arnold likes to work quickly, though at times he works too quickly and his mechanics go awry. He did a better job of not rushing his delivery this summer and started throwing more strikes after control problems had plagued him in his first two years.
