Bobby Mitchell (mitchbo02)

Robert Vance Mitchell

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Norristown High School
• Debut July 5, 1970
• Final Game September 28, 1975
• Born October 22, 1943 in Norristown, PA USA
• Died September 29, 2019 in Sacramento, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bobby Mitchell's slugging percentage improved over each of the five seasons he was in the major leagues. Then he went off to Japan to become a star slugger, hitting 113 home runs in 4 seasons of Nippon Professional Baseball.

Bobby was born in Norristown, PA and attended Norristown High School, the same school previously attended by Tommy Lasorda. His first four years in the minors were in the Boston Red Sox organization, before he was drafted away by the New York Yankees. He hit .328 with the Yankee's Triple A affiliate in Syracuse with moderate power and some stolen bases in 1969. He stayed there in 1970, but came to the bigs for ten games with the 1970 Yankees. At age 26, he was three years older than teammate Thurman Munson.

Over the 1969-70 winter, he was conditionally sent to the Atlanta Braves but returned at the end of spring training. He spent some more time at Syracuse before getting traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he would play for four seasons. He spent all of 1972 and part of 1973 with Triple A Evansville, hitting .381 with 20 homers in 77 games in 1972.

He was up in the majors for all of 1974 and 1975, hitting near .250 with moderate power. He was an irregular outfielder under manager Del Crandall, registering fewer than 500 plate appearances during both seasons combined.

At age 32 he left to play four years in Japan. In his best season, he cracked 36 home runs for the Nippon Ham Fighters.

He is not to be confused with two other players of the same name: Bobby Mitchell (1877-82) and Bobby Mitchell (1980-83).

Mitchell passed away at the end of September 2019.