Mitchell has bounced back and forth between the top and second spot in Royals prospect rankings the past couple of seasons. In 2024, he held the title of top Royals prospect, especially after hitting 18 home runs, stealing 25 bases, and posting a 137 wRC+ in 466 plate appearances with the Fireflies. 

However, the Royals drafted Jac Caglianone sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, and the Florida slugger immediately ascended to the top spot in the Royals system. 

It was also a tough season for Mitchell in 2025, in myriad ways.

First off, in Spring Training, he broke a hamate bone in his hand, which forced him to start the year on the IL. When Mitchell returned to action, he struggled to get in rhythm in High-A Quad Cities, especially at the plate. In 49 games and 216 plate appearances, he only hit .207 and had two home runs. Furthermore, his ISO was only .089, a far cry from the .201 mark he posted in Low-A Columbia in 2024.

Mitchell did show some positive signs offensively. His eye at the plate has been lauded, and he did post a 20.8% BB% and 0.63 BB/K ratio with the River Bandits last year. That said, his approach was sometimes a bit too passive, as evidenced by his 41.2% swing rate and 49.5% first-strike percentage last season.

On a positive note, it seemed like Mitchell finally was fully healthy in Arizona this fall. As a result, he produced a solid AFL campaign in terms of results and underlying batted-ball metrics with the Surprise Saguaros, who won the AFL Championship.

In 82 plate appearances, Mitchell slashed .233/.439/.317 with a .756 OPS. While he only hit one home run, he showed excellent exit velocity metrics. His 90th EV ranked in the 71st percentile, his barrel rate ranked in the 72nd percentile, his average EV ranked in the 82nd percentile, and his max EV ranked in the 98th percentile. Furthermore, Mitchell was much more aggressive, ranking in the 86th percentile in Z-Swing%. However, he still showed his highly touted plate discipline, as evidenced by his 89th percentile O-Swing% and 95th percentile BB%.

In addition to solid metrics, the AFL was good for Mitchell to build some confidence, especially in big moments. The 21-year-old catcher had a walk-off single in the AFL semifinals that helped punch the Saguaros' ticket in the AFL Championship.

Even though there's a lot of catching depth in the Royals system, Mitchell is impressive defensively, showing excellent athleticism and arm strength behind the plate. He threw out 31% of baserunners last year, a 16% improvement from his mark in 2024. He also stole nine bags the previous year and 25 in 2024. Thus, he has the athleticism to be a multi-tool threat at the MLB level, even as a catcher. 

While 2025 wasn't a season to remember for Mitchell, he's still 21 years old, and he is trending in the right direction after a productive AFL stint. He should be one to watch in 2026 as an impact prospect in this system, as long as he stays healthy. While he may start in High-A, he could move quickly and be in Northwest Arkansas before Royals fans know it.