New York Yankees Prospect Profile: Number 26 Bryan Mitchell

As we continue our Yanks Go Yard Prospect Profile series, we move down the pipeline to a familiar face: RHP Bryan Mitchell.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 60 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

Ever since Bryan Mitchell signed with the New York Yankees for $800,000 as a 16th-round draft pick out of Rockingham County High School in North Carolina in ’09, he has been stretched out in the minor leagues predominantly as a starter. However, the results aren’t too pretty.

In six minor league seasons with the New York Yankees, Mitchell has pitched to a 27-39 record with a 4.27 ERA, but aside from a few spot-starts with the big club, skipper Joe Girardi used the young right-hander exclusively as a reliever in 2015, and it’s starting to look more and more like his niche.

Per MLB Pipeline, Bryan Mitchell averages 96 mph on his heater and sometimes touches 99 mph when he comes out of the bullpen, which is significantly higher than his 92-94 mph range as a starter.  Aside from his four-seam fastball, his pitching arsenal also includes a curveball (83 mph), cutter (92 mph) and an occasional changeup (89 mph).

According to Brooks Baseball, Mitchell’s four-seam fastball has well above average velocity when he comes out of the bullpen. His curveball is a real “worm killer” that actually generates an extreme number of groundballs compared to other pitchers’ curves because it’s much harder than usual, has a sharp downward bite and has slight glove-side movement. His cutter generates a ton of fly-balls because of its exceptional velocity and because it runs in on hitters.  His changeup… well he only threw 17 of them in 2015 because it’s by far his worst pitch, as it lacks movement and deception.

Mitchell made his 2016 spring training debut on Friday against the Tigers when he took the hill against the MLB veteran Justin Verlander.

Mitchell pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just one walk while recording two strikeouts.

Some insiders are predicting Bryan Mitchell as the leasing candidate to replace Adam Warren as a versatile pitching option for the Yankees in 2016.