Russ Mitchell

Russell Lance Mitchell is a professional baseball player who specializes in manning the infield. Mitchell began playing baseball seriously once he entered the Cartersville High School. Playing with the Purple Hurricanes, Mitchell was an outstanding player and along with many colleges, also drew the attention of numerous MLB franchisees, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, which picked him up in the 15th round of the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft, once Mitchell decided to declare for it after high school.

Mitchell began his professional career with the Gulf Coast Dodgers where he played 26 games in the season, hitting at .338. He mainly played at second or third base during this time, gathering 26 hits in 77 at-bats. 2004 began in the A-League, with the Columbus Catfish, where Mitchell played 63 games at a lowly average of just .201. He did manage to earn a call up to the Advanced A-Division and played the remainder of the season with the Vero Beach Dodgers.

The following season, Mitchell was sent back to the Rookie League where he was named to the Post-season All Star Team for the Pioneer League. Mitchell had batted at .289 with 13 homers over a span of 69 appearances. He moved up to the Vero Beach Dodgers for 13 games, batting at .303 before getting his first shot at the AA-League with the Jacksonville Suns to end the year.

In 2006, Mitchell began the season with the Columbus Catfish in the A-League before moving onto the Vero Beach Dodgers. His .277 batting average with the Vero Beach Dodgers got him a chance to stay in the division, this time with the Inland Empire. Through 2007, Mitchell stayed with the team, batting at .270 with a .488 slugging percentage.

He was moved up to the AA-League to play for the Jacksonville Suns in the 2008 season. A .264 batting average with 16 home runs is what Mitchell had to show for his season. He was sent to play for the Chattanooga Lookouts in 2009, amassing 13 home runs and a lower batting average of .241 for the season. Getting an invite for the 2010 Spring Training, Mitchell gave a strong performance and is considered to be one of the prime prospects to come up to the MLB roster for the new season.