I did a couple of these a while back, and they were fun, so I figured I'd do it again.  The point of these pieces is to expose those prospects that do not get much mainstream exposure, but deserve it.  Today we're going to talk about Yankees pitcher D.J. Mitchell, currently with high-A Tampa.

Mitchell was largely unranked before this season, his first as a professional.  However, drafted in the 10th round by the Yankees, and signed for well above slot at $450,000, Mitchell came with a good amount of fanfare last June.  He is actually fairly new to pitching, having been recruited by Clemson as a position player.  In 31 appearances for the Tigers (21 starts), Mitchell was 11-5 with a 3.40 ERA and 155/56 K/BB in 151 innings.  Baseball America had the following to say about him when they ranked him #155 on their 2008 Draft Top 200 (link is subscriber-only):

Recruited as an outfielder, Mitchell didn't pitch at all his freshman year at Clemson. A career .241 hitter in college, he split time between hitting and pitching last season and found more success on the mound, tallying a 5-0, 3.27 record in 15 appearances. Following his sophomore season, he led the Cape Cod League with 58 strikeouts, including one 15-strikeout performance, and had a 1.47 ERA in eight starts. He has been Clemson's Friday night starter this spring, providing stability on a young staff. Athletic on the mound, Mitchell has long, wiry arms and legs. His fastball comes in between 89-91 mph, but with above-average movement. He creates natural sink and tail from his loose three-quarters arm slot. He complements his fastball with a sweeping slider and changeup. Mitchell is 6-feet, 170 pounds and has room to add more weight. Due to his size, durability is a question mark, but his live body and limited pitching experience intrigue scouts. He'll likely end up in the bullpen at the professional level.

If this scouting report sounds familiar, it's because it's a lot like the one BA wrote up for Jess Todd prior to the 2007 draft.  Mitchell draws a lot of comparisons to him.  Both were college pitchers with predominantly a fastball-slider combo (though Todd's fastball is slightly faster), and both have been knocked for their size.  And, there's always the fact that both pitchers had awesome debuts.

Before I continue talking about Mitchell's 2009, and making some more comparisons, I'd first like to mention that Mitchell did get some love from BA before the season.  They ranked him 24th in the Yankees system, saying that he's incredibly athletic, and that he "could struggle initially in pro ball, but his potential is obvious".  BA also said that he could have three solid-to-plus pitches when all is said and done, and that his changeup (potentially a plus) is the key to remaining a starter.  John and other sources (such as Deric McKaney) left Mitchell out of Yankee top prospect lists, though he was an honorable mention for John.

Anyway, while Todd reached AAA in his first full professional season, the Yankees are taking a (slightly) more patient role with Mitchell.  Starting the season at single-A Charleston, Mitchell got off to a crazy-good start, racking up a 29.0% K/PA, 4.1% BB/PA, and a 2.07 FIP.  It didn't hurt that he was also prompting grounders at a cool 60% rate.  The Yankees promoted him aggressively to high-A Tampa after his 6th start with Charleston.  While his ERA has taken a hit in the promotion, his peripherals are sparkling.  Mitchell's still maintaining a 24.8% K/PA to go along with a 9.7% BB/PA, and he's actually increased his groundball ratio, to 63%.  Based just on his pure numbers, he's really bringing fellow Yankees prospect Zach McAllister to mind for me, as a GB-minded pitcher with very good strikeout rates and good control.  Also like McAllister, I think Mitchell is criminally underrated.

So, with all this in mind, what do we think about Mitchell?  Does his size have him destined for the Yankees bullpen?  Is it all dependent on his changeup?  Does he deserve more attention, and if so, why isn't he receiving it?  To me, he's got to be a top-5 prospect for the Yankees right now, even counting new draftees Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy.  There's no way Brackman's ahead of him at this point, and he's definitely in the conversation with Betances and Romine, IMO.