Garrett Mitchell Bio
Garrett Antony-Charles Mitchell (born September 4, 1998) is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Brewers selected him 20th overall in the 2020 MLB draft out of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he starred for the UCLA Bruins. A former first-team All-Pac-12 Conference selection, Mitchell reached the major leagues in 2022 and has played center field in Milwaukee ever since.
Early Life and Background
Garrett Antony-Charles Mitchell grew up in Orange, California, and attended Lutheran High School of Orange County, where he was a four-year member of the varsity baseball team. He was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at nine years old and has since managed the condition with an insulin pump, an experience that became part of his public story as a professional athlete.
Regarded as a top collegiate prospect, Mitchell committed to UCLA during his sophomore year of high school. As a junior at Lutheran, he batted .299 with 19 runs scored and 11 runs batted in (RBIs) and appeared in the 2016 Perfect Game All-America Baseball Game and the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game. The Oakland Athletics selected him in the 14th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but he opted not to sign and instead honored his college commitment.
Path to Baseball
After graduating from Lutheran, Mitchell spent a summer playing for the Walla Walla Sweets of the West Coast League, batting .462 with one home run and four RBIs in 13 at-bats. He arrived at UCLA as a true freshman and was named the Bruins’ starting right fielder and Preseason Freshman of the Year by Baseball America. Over 44 games, he batted .280 with 44 hits and 31 RBIs, though he missed time due to health issues and played summer baseball in the Northwoods League for the Mankato MoonDogs.
Mitchell’s sophomore season established him as one of the best hitters in the Pac-12 Conference. In 2019, he batted .349 with 14 doubles, 12 triples, six home runs, 57 runs scored, and 41 RBIs, setting a UCLA single-season record for triples. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors and third-team All-American recognition from the NCBWA and ABCA, then spent the following summer with the United States collegiate national baseball team. His junior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic after he batted .355 with nine RBIs and 18 runs.
Garrett Mitchell Career
Early Career (2020-2021)
The Milwaukee Brewers selected Mitchell in the first round, 20th overall, in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed on July 7, 2020, receiving a $3.2 million bonus. He did not appear in a game that year after the minor league season was canceled because of the pandemic. The following spring, he earned a non-roster invitation to Milwaukee’s 2021 spring training roster and batted .367 with one home run and six RBI in 22 games.
Mitchell opened the 2021 regular season with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, then earned a promotion to the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers in early July. With the Timber Rattlers, he slashed .359/.504/.620 with five home runs, 33 runs scored, 20 RBI, and 12 stolen bases over 28 games. His Double-A stint proved more difficult, as he batted .186/.291/.264 with three home runs and ten RBI over 35 games, and a leg injury cost him additional time.
Milwaukee Brewers Debut (2022)
Mitchell returned to Biloxi to start 2022 and batted .277 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 44 games before a promotion to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. On August 27, 2022, the Brewers selected his contract and promoted him to the major leagues. Mitchell later said he missed the call informing him of his promotion because he was eating a chocolate chip cookie, and he made his debut that day as a late-game replacement in center field. He collected his first major league hit the next day, a two-RBI double to center field that gave Milwaukee the lead, and launched his first home run on August 29, 2022, against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Wil Crowe. He finished his debut season batting .311/.373/.459 with 19 hits, two home runs, and nine RBI in 28 games.
Major League Establishment (2023-2024)
Mitchell made Milwaukee’s opening day roster in 2023 and batted seventh while starting in center field. On April 2, he ripped his first major league triple, a line drive to right field that drove in Brian Anderson, and two days later he recorded his first career two-home-run game against the New York Mets. A left shoulder injury required surgery on May 4, 2023, and manager Craig Counsell indicated the procedure would likely end his season. Mitchell was activated on September 28 and played 19 total games for Milwaukee, hitting .246/.315/.446 with three home runs and seven RBI.
The 2024 season opened with another setback, as Mitchell suffered a broken left hand in spring training and began the year on the injured list. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 14, 2024, before being activated on July 1. His most memorable moment came on October 2, 2024, when his two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Brewers to a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series.
2025 Season
Mitchell played in 25 games for the Brewers to begin the 2025 season, hitting .206/.286/.294 with three RBI and three stolen bases. On April 26, 2025, he was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain. On June 28, the Brewers announced he would undergo surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered during a rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Nashville, and on July 1, the club indicated he was likely to miss the remainder of the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Mitchell’s game is built on speed, defensive range in center field, and developing power from the right side of the plate. He has shown an ability to impact the running game with double-digit stolen-base totals in the minors and has delivered several clutch extra-base hits at the major league level, including his go-ahead two-RBI double in his first start and his game-tying home run against the Mets in the 2024 Wild Card Series.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature moments, Mitchell’s first career hit came in his first major league start, and he homered for the first time two days later against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His two-home-run performance against the New York Mets in 2023 and his dramatic two-run shot in Game 2 of the 2024 Wild Card Series stand out as the defining early highlights of his Brewers career.
Garrett Mitchell Family
Personal Life
Mitchell was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of nine and manages the condition with an insulin pump, a routine he has spoken about publicly as part of his professional career. In 2021, he married professional softball player Haley Cruse.
2025 Season Performance
Garrett Mitchell’s 2025 campaign with the Milwaukee Brewers has been defined almost entirely by injuries. He hit .206/.286/.294 with three RBI and three stolen bases across 25 games before a left oblique strain sent him to the injured list on April 26, 2025. The oblique issue emerged shortly after he returned from a previous injury, and the Brewers were hopeful he would be back on the field within several weeks.
Those hopes ended in late June when the team announced Mitchell would undergo surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered during a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Nashville. Three days later, on July 1, the Brewers indicated that the procedure would likely cost him the remainder of the 2025 season, leaving the outfielder with a recovery timeline that extends into the following year.
Even with his shortened season, Mitchell remains a key part of Milwaukee’s long-term plans in center field, where his speed and defense are central to the club’s identity. The Brewers will look for him to return to full health and build on the highlights he produced late in 2024, including his tie-breaking home run against the New York Mets in the Wild Card Series.