Mitch Hilligoss

Mitchell Matthew Hilligoss

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1', Weight 195 lb.
• School Purdue University
• High School Windsor (IL) High School

• Born June 17, 1985 in Windsor, IL USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Mitch Hilligoss is a minor league prospect in the Texas Rangers system.

Hilligoss hit .327/.391/.413 in 2004 as a freshman for Purdue. In 2005, he batted .404/.429/.535 and led the Big 10 Conference in batting average and runs (92). He stole 25 bases, 6 shy of the Conference lead, and made the All-Conference team at shortstop. He was 21st in NCAA Division I in batting average. The American Baseball Coaches Association named him as a third-team All-American.

In the summer of 2005, Hilligoss hit .342 with 21 steals and 43 runs, leading the Central Illinois Collegiate League in the latter two categories. He was named to the CICL All-Star team as an infielder. Baseball America rated him as the league's #7 prospect, one slot behind Wes Roemer.

In 2006, Mitch hit .386/.453/.579 for Purdue, second in the Big 10 to Ronnie Bourquin. Hilligoss scored 62 runs, one behind Matt Angle, the Conference leader, setting a Purdue record. Hilligoss made the All-Conference team at shortstop.

Hilligoss was drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2006 amateur draft. He was signed by scouts Mike Gibbons and Tim Kelly and made his pro debut that summer. His first stop in his professional career was the Staten Island Yankees. He hit .292/.357/.352 with 40 runs, 12 steals in 14 tries, 2 homers and 36 RBI and batted .397 against left-handers (.251 against right-handers). A shortstop in college, he split time between third base (36 games) and shortstop (32 games). Hilligoss was named to the mid-season All-Star team and was named Co-MVP of the game along with Staten Island teammate Nick Peterson. He tied for 9th in the New York-Penn League in batting average. Baseball America rated him as the #17 prospect in the league, one slot ahead of ERA leader Chris Salamida.

In 2007, Hilligoss was assigned to the Charleston River Dogs. He was once again named to the mid-season All-Star team and was again named the game's MVP. Hilligoss had a great season for Charleston has he put together a 38-game hitting streak, the 2nd longest hitting streak in 2007, following Brandon Watson. He finished the season with a .310/.352/.415 batting line with 83 runs, 35 doubles, 35 steals in 42 tries, 4 homers and 53 RBI. Hilligoss was only 10th in the South Atlantic League in batting average despite his long hitting streak. He tied Danny Figueroa and Archie Gilbert for 7th in the league in stolen bases and tied five others for sixth in doubles. He made the South Atlantic League post-season All-Star team at third base.

Sources:

• Purdue bio
• 2005-2007 Baseball Almanacs
• 2007 Yankees Media Guide
• MILB.com
• The Baseball Cube