Bobby Mitchell (mitchbo03)
Robert Van Mitchell
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.
- School University of Southern California
- High School Chatsworth High School
- Debut September 1, 1980
- Final Game September 21, 1983
- Born April 7, 1955 in Salt Lake City, UT USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Bobby Mitchell played four seasons in the major leagues, including as the regular centerfielder on the Minnesota Twins in 1982, after coming up to the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980. He also appeared in 10 games for the Dodgers in 1981, a team that went on to win the 1981 World Series, but he was blocked from finding a regular job with that powerful team. In contrast, the 1982 Twins were starved for talent, giving the speedy Mitchell a chance to play regularly, but he lost his job to another career minor leaguer, Darrell Brown, in 1983 and never played in the big leagues after that.
Mitchell played in the 1967 Little League World Series. He was at USC at the same time as Steve Kemp and a number of other future major leaguers, and was drafted in the 7th round in the 1977 amateur draft by the Dodgers. He hit at least .290 each year in the minors through 1982. With the Dodgers' AAA farm club at Albuquerque in 1979-1981 he fought for outfield playing time with future major leaguers such as Candy Maldonado, Mickey Hatcher, Ron Roenicke and Rudy Law, getting at least 400 at-bats each year.
In his last minor league season, 1986 with the Syracuse Chiefs, he was a teammate of the young Cecil Fielder.
He was a roving minor league coach starting in 1992, with the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, and Anaheim Angels (2003-2005).
He managed the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2006 and 2007. He managed the Salt Lake Bees in 2008, guiding them to the second-best overall record in the Pacific Coast League. The team featured, among others, Nick Adenhart. In 2011, Mitchell became the Angels' minor league baserunning coordinator, then managed for a couple of years in the Chicago Cubs system. In 2014, he moved to the Atlanta Braves as minor league roving outfield and baserunning instructor.
He is not to be confused with two other players of the same name: Bobby Mitchell (1877-82) and Bobby Mitchell (1970-75).
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