Jared Mitchell (baseball)

Jared Christopher Mitchell (born October 13, 1988) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He played college baseball at LSU, where he was the College World Series Most Outstanding Player in 2009.

Amateur career
Mitchell attended Westgate High School, 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 (LSU) after being selected by the club in the 10th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft.

"'They came at me hard but kept [the offer] around the same as the original,' Mitchell said. 'I had a number in my head, and they never got there. It's a great organization; things just didn't work out when we had a chance to do something. Who knows what will happen three years down the line?'"

Mitchell played for both the LSU Tigers baseball team and the LSU Tigers football team. He was awarded the College World Series Most Outstanding Player 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. In 2008, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Chicago White Sox
Mitchell was drafted in the first round ( overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox. 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, the Single–A affiliate of the White Sox. He finished the season with a .296 batting average, 12 doubles, two triples, no home runs, 10 runs batted in, 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 High–A ball for the Winston-Salem Dash in North Carolina. He finished the 2011 season batting .222 AVG, 31 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 9 home runs, 58 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 52 walks and 183 strikeouts in 477 at bats. In 2012, Mitchell moved up to the Birmingham Barons of the Double–A Southern League. Later in the 2012 season, Mitchell was promoted to Charlotte Knights of the Triple–A International League. Mitchell finished the 2012 season hitting a combined .237 AVG, 24 doubles, 13 triples, 11 home runs, 67 RBI, 21 stolen bases, 78 walks and 179 strikeouts 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 Triple–A and Double–A batting .167 AVG with 5 home runs, 23 RBI, 17 stolen bases, 51 walks and 123 strikeouts 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's 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 on May 16, 2015. After signing with the Angels, Mitchell played for the Arkansas Travelers of the Double–A Texas League and Salt Lake Bees of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League during the 2015 season. On November 7, 2015, Mitchell elected free agency.

New York Yankees
The New York Yankees signed Mitchell to a minor league contract on February 4, 2016. Mitchell was assigned to the Trenton Thunder 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.

York Revolution (second stint)
On April 11, 2018, Mitchell signed with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 117 games for York, he batted .275/.364/.383 with six home runs, 44 RBI, and 33 stolen bases. Mitchell became a free agent following the 2018 season.

Sugar Land Skeeters
On April 15, 2019, Mitchell signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was released on July 16, 2019. In 63 games he hit .258/.356/.384 with 6 home runs, 28 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

High Point Rockers
On July 31, 2019, Mitchell signed with the High Point Rockers 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.

Eastern Reyes del Tigre
In July 2020, Mitchell signed on to play for the Eastern Reyes del Tigre of the Constellation Energy League (a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) for the 2020 season.

High Point Rockers (second stint)
On May 11, 2021, Mitchell signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 114 games for the Rockers, he batted .242/.378/.425 with 14 home runs, 66 RBI, and 27 stolen bases. Mitchell 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.

Mitchell later retired from professional baseball and joined ESPN on SEC Network as an analyst in April 2024.

Awards

 * 2008 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
 * 2008 Second-Team All-Louisiana
 * SEC Freshman of the Week (February 26, 2007)
 * 2009 College World Series Most Outstanding Player