Road to The Show™: Royals’ Mitchell

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at second-ranked Royals prospect Blake Mitchell. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

Blake Mitchell’s numbers from his first full Minor League season might not jump off the page right away, but it was an objectively successful year for the 20-year old.

In 111 games between High-A Quad Cities and Single-A Columbia, he batted .232 with a .792 OPS. But he was one of only 11 players and the only catcher in the Minors with at least 18 homers and 25 stolen bases this season. He also recorded 16 doubles, 51 RBIs and drew 80 walks.

The Royals named him the George Brett Hitter of the Year, awarded to the organization’s best offensive player.

Scouts took notice of Mitchell’s improvements as well. In April, he was ranked MLB Pipeline’s No. 94 overall prospect but made a substantial leap to No. 52 by season’s end.

Mitchell learned to hit lefty when he was 3 years old by mirroring dad Kevin’s right-handed swing. He didn’t fare very well against southpaws this season, batting .179 with .571 OPS in 82 plate appearances.

Defensively, Mitchell’s best tool is his 70-grade arm strength -- he touched 97 mph as a prep pitcher -- although the 20-year-old did not have much success managing the running game this season. Mitchell needs some development as a receiver and blocker, but he has good instincts behind the plate, handles a pitching staff well and is quite athletic for the position.

“You talk about all the facets of his game -- he’s intelligent, he’s got makeup, he’s tough, he’s built right,” Royals scouting director Danny Ontiveros told MLB.com after last year’s Draft. “It’s a double-plus arm. He can hit for power. He runs. He just did everything. … We got a lot of looks, and he never disappointed. I think he’s going to be an impact player, middle-of-the-order bat, and his leadership fits everything else.”

The native of Clear Lake, Texas, was a rare two-time Gatorade Player of the Year as a catcher and a pitcher at Sinton High School and a well-known name on the showcase circuit as a prep prospect.

As a junior, Mitchell helped Sinton win the Texas 4A title, and in his final prep season, he hit .474 with a 1.543 OPS, six homers, 14 doubles and 41 RBIs. He also stole 35 bases and drew 51 walks while striking out just eight times.

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Mitchell has actually already played a game at Kauffman Stadium, his potential future home ballpark. He was named MVP after driving in five runs in the Under Armour All-America Game at The K in 2022. That same year, he earned the win on the mound in the USA Baseball 18U national team's gold medal game at the WBSC Baseball World Cup.

MLB Pipeline ranked Mitchell as the No. 14 prospect in the 2023 class and the Royals jumped at the chance to draft him with the No. 8 overall pick. He decided to forgo his commitment to LSU and sign with the Royals for a reported $4.9 million, which was about $1 million less than slot value.

After signing, Mitchell reported to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, where he initially struggled. In 13 games, Mitchell batted .147, but he recorded more walks (17) than strikeouts (14) and reportedly had a strong showing after the season at fall instructs.

Mitchell had a tough spring, striking out in four of his five at-bats between the Royals' Spring Breakout game and his lone Cactus League appearance.

He spent almost all of 2024 with Columbia, and was named a Carolina League All-Star at the end of the season. He posted an .815 OPS with 18 homers, 16 doubles, 64 runs and 50 RBIs while drawing 79 walks and stealing 25 stolen bases.

He was promoted to Quad Cities, joining top Royals prospect Jac Caglianone, in September for the River Bandits' final regular-season series and their playoff tilt against Wisconsin. In seven games, he went 2-for-26 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and 11 strikeouts.

Mitchell was more than three years younger than the average Midwest League player. And he’s likely to return to the High-A circuit for the start of the 2025 season.

Mitchell has the strength, bat speed and patient approach to be more than just a power hitter. But he will have to learn to make adjustments and improve his bat-to-ball skills as he faces tougher competition. He's already shown an ability to adjust on the fly, telling MLB.com he began to unlock some power after widening his stance during the season in an effort to be “more athletic” at the plate.