Garrett Mitchell Is the Brewers’ Under-The-Radar Trade Chip

The 2024 MLB trade deadline is just four days away, and trade rumors are starting to pile up.

As the rumor mill churns, the Milwaukee Brewers have been floated in many different trade discussions. They are expected to be active buyers at this year’s deadline.

Milwaukee sits atop the National League Central standings, and fortifying the starting rotation remains the club’s utmost priority.

The Brewers have a strong and deep farm system, and that will allow them to put together competitive trade packages for some of the top available players on the market if they wish to go for it this season.

However, the degree to which they’re willing to dip into that farm system is yet to be seen, as the franchise has generally been reluctant to empty the farm system for a shot at short-term success.

Instead, one avenue the Brewers could take is trading from an area of strength: their group of young and talented big league outfielders. Specifically, one asset flying under the radar as one of Milwaukee’s top trade chips is 25-year-old center fielder Garrett Mitchell.

The Brewers have been workshopping the configuration of their outfield dating back to Opening Day of last season, but it’s becoming more clear what they want the future of their outfield to look like moving forward.

Christian Yelich, when healthy, is still an elite talent in Milwaukee’s lineup. He’s returned to his All-Star form this season, and he is locked into an outfield spot as long as he is on the field.

How Yelich elects to treat his recent back injury is still up in the air, but for the time being, he is and will be the starting left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers for the foreseeable future.

Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee’s 20-year-old phenom, is going to be the long-term focal point of the outfield. After what was an expected bumpy start to his MLB career, Chourio is already starting to show fans why the club signed him to a record-breaking eight-year extension this past offseason.

Beyond Chourio and Yelich is a bottleneck of players fighting for playing time. Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, and Mitchell have all shared some degree of playing time this season, but it may be time for the Brewers to trade from their surplus in order to enhance another part of their roster.

Brewers Trade Chip: Garrett Mitchell’s Intrigue

Mitchell, 25, was the club’s first-round draft choice back in 2020, and he was an enticing prospect for the Brewers as he rose through their system. Mitchell is a tremendous athlete with a handful of different tools that make him such an intriguing big league talent.

For years, Mitchell was one of Milwaukee’s top prospects thanks to his combination of raw power, incredible speed, and strong approach. He had the makings of a high-floor big leaguer who had the potential to raise his ceiling if he could translate his raw power into game power.

Unfortunately, it’s been a bumpy start to his major league career thus far. Injuries have plagued Mitchell throughout his young professional career, and the continuous ailments have prevented him from establishing himself in the big leagues.

The center fielder has missed an ample amount of time dating back to the 2021 season.

Mitchell was on the shelf with a left knee sprain in 2021; he missed nearly two months during the 2022 season with an oblique injury; a torn labrum forced him to miss nearly the entire 2023 season; and he, unfortunately, missed the first three months of the 2024 season with a fractured finger in his left hand.

Still, while it’s been an inconsistent start to his career, there is still a lot to like about his player profile.

The Good: Approach and Speed

Mitchell has continued to show a disciplined approach throughout his time in the major leagues.

In 62 career games, Mitchell is rocking a 20.4% chase rate and a 10.4% walk rate. What’s more, a strong approach at the plate has been his strength in the early parts of his 2024 campaign. He’s chasing pitches at just a 13.1% rate this season, and he’s walking at a whopping 13.7% clip.

It’s a small sample size, but it’s encouraging to see him build upon his strong approach from the minor leagues. One could argue he’s almost more passive than patient at times, but nonetheless, his disciplined pitch selection should lay the foundation for a high floor as he continues to get more comfortable in the majors.

Secondly, Mitchell’s speed is still an enormous asset for Milwaukee. A 70-grade runner as a prospect, Mitchell is in the 95th percentile in average sprint speed this season (29.5), according to Baseball Savant.

Mitchell is a threat for 20 or more stolen bases in a given season, and that was on display back in 2022 when he swiped eight bases in just 28 games with the Brewers. He’s a threat with his legs, and that just adds to an encouraging offensive floor.

The Bad – Contact Rates

The number one concern for Mitchell in his young big league career has been his concerning contact metrics. In 192 career plate appearances, Mitchell is sporting an overall whiff rate of 34.1% and a zone contact rate of just 71.4%. In turn, he has a career strikeout rate of 35.4%.

Again, it’s not the largest sample size, but it’s difficult to have major league success with those kinds of bat-to-ball numbers.

This season, Mitchell is rocking a zone contact rate of 67.6% (82% is league average), a whiff rate of 29.9% (24.8% league average), and a 27.5% strikeout rate (22.2% league average).

As stated earlier, numerous injuries have prevented Mitchell from getting any sort of consistent playing time in the big leagues. For a player who posted respectable contact rates throughout his time in the minor leagues, it’s reasonable to think that better days are likely ahead for the 25-year-old.

Moreover, one of Mitchell’s biggest concerns as a prospect is his ability to elevate the ball.

Mitchell posted groundball rates north of 50% at several stops in the minors (including over 60% in some cases). So far with the Brewers this season, he is rocking a 70% ground ball rate with an average launch angle of -0.9 degrees.

His inability to drive the ball in the air puts a cap on how much raw power he can translate to game power. With that said, Mitchell had just a 40.6% groundball rate across his 47 games from 2022-’23, so he has shown improvements in this area at times. Still, consistency will be key for his offensive output.

Garrett Mitchell’s Appeal on the Trade Market

Mitchell features a swing that is shorter in length, but its well-above-average bat speed can still produce plenty of power when he squares up the ball, as illustrated in the video below:

Likewise, it’s a swing that should be producing better bat-to-ball numbers. If Mitchell can maintain his strong approach while seeing just a slight uptick in contact rates, the results are bound to come for such a talented player.

In his 62 MLB games, Mitchell is sporting a respectable slash line of .265/.340/.429 for a .769 OPS, a wRC+ of 114, and an isolated power (ISO) of .165. It might not feel like it because his production has been split up across three separate seasons, but Mitchell has been an above-average hitter in his young big league career.

Certainly, there are aspects of his game that need improvement, but he still has the potential to be a building block in a big league outfield.

With that said, if the Brewers are receiving trade interest in Mitchell, it’s very well worth listening. When it comes to a player who has struggled to stay on the field for the vast majority of his professional career, it doesn’t hurt to field offers if it means the team can receive a controllable arm in return without their farm system taking a hit.

It’s no secret that the Brewers need more starting pitching in order to take the leap into legitimate World Series contention, and trade chip Mitchell might be the player to bring back the most value among the outfielders they’re willing to part with.

The Milwaukee Brewers are likely to be one of the more active teams in the rumor mill over the coming days, and it will be fascinating to see how things shake out for the first-place ball club when all is said and done.