Blake Mitchell

School: Sinton (Texas) HS Source: HS

Commit/Drafted: Louisiana State
Age At Draft: 18.9
BA Grade:55/Extreme
Tools:Hit: 45. Power: 55. Run: 30. Field: 55. Arm: 70.

The top high school catcher in the class, Mitchell is also a talented pitcher who has been into the mid 90s on the mound and was used in a two-way role for Team USA’s 18U gold medal-winning national team in 2022. Despite his talent on the mound, his upside is higher as a catching prospect, with big-time lefthanded power and double-plus arm strength. Mitchell is physically mature at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, with well-developed lower and upper halves that provide an excellent foundation of strength and power. He has solid rhythm in the batter’s box, and a generally strong understanding of the strike zone, though his pure bat-to-ball skills need work. It’s not surprising for Mitchell to swing-and-miss against all pitch types and he’ll need to do a better job making contact in order to tap into his plus raw power. While his pure hit tool remains a bit raw, he’s a polished and instinctual defender behind the plate. He received well and did a nice job handling the best arms in the class in 2022—including a few high-octane, poor control pitchers with Team USA—with solid agility and flexibility that should allow him to be a consistently strong blocker. His carrying defensive tool is his 70-grade arm strength, which allows him to produce in-game pop times in the 1.8-1.9-second range and should allow him to keep the running game in check, especially with improved accuracy and footwork. Mitchell is a well below-average runner committed to Louisiana State but has a chance to be a top-15 selection.