Blake Mitchell has been one of the most interesting prospects in Minor League Baseball this season.
On Friday night, the Royals' No. 1 prospect delivered a massive offensive performance in High-A Quad Cities' 11-6 win over Cedar Rapids at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The 21-year-old went 2-for-4 with two homers and drove in a career-high seven runs.
Mitchell’s two-homer night marks his first multihomer game of the year, the second of his professional career and pushes his season OPS to .908.
“I just feel like myself again,” said Mitchell. “I had the setback last year with the hamate surgery and really grinded through the games that I could play. Now that I am back -- and healthy -- it’s just second nature and I can go out and play ball.”
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Mitchell’s career night got underway in the top of the first inning.
After laying off a first-pitch fastball from right-hander Irvan Romero (Twins), MLB’s No. 6 catching prospect got a changeup in the heart of the zone and didn’t miss it, pulling the 1-0 offering over the scoreboard in right-center a Trackman-projected 430 feet. The blast left his bat at 109 mph, per the same system.
“I was just looking for something over the middle of the plate," Mitchell said. "He ended up hanging a changeup and I put a good swing on it."
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Following punchouts in his second and third at-bats of the night, the Texas native’s power surge resumed in the sixth. In the fifth pitch of his at-bat against righty Nick Trabacchi, Mitchell turned on a 2-2 slider from the right-hander and deposited it over the wall in right for his second three-run homer of the night.
Producing with runners in scoring position is something the 21-year-old has been excellent at this season -- Mitchell owns a .966 OPS with 19 RBIs in 41 at-bats in such situations.
“I’m always in go mode and looking to attack and do damage on pitches that I can drive and bring in runs,” Mitchell said. “He happened to make a pretty good pitch on the slider that I hit. It was in on the black, but I just put a better swing on it.”
Along with showcasing his plus power tool this season, Mitchell has continued to be one of the most patient hitters not only in the Royals' system, but in all of the Minors.
In 43 games played, the backstop owns a .214 batting average. But it's his .442 on base percentage -- which ranks ninth in the High-A circuit -- that balances things out. While he’s collected just 28 hits this year, Mitchell has still reached base at an elite clip thanks to the 53 walks he’s worked. Those free passes are not only tied for the most at High-A, but across all of Minor League Baseball.
“I always just trust my eyes, they aren’t going to lie to me. Whatever they see, I trust,” said Mitchell. “I’m a yes-yes-yes hitter up until that last second, then I make my decision."
Mitchell, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Texas in 2023 and '24, was selected by the Royals with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. His stock in the system rose quickly, winning Kansas City’s George Brett Hitter of the Year in his first full season with the Royals.
Now, fully healthy again, Mitchell's development appears to be back on track.