Garrett Mitchell Gets First Start for Brewers vs. Cubs

Former first-round pick Garrett Mitchell will get his first MLB start Sunday as the Milwaukee Brewers go for the series win against the Chicago Cubs. Mitchell came on as an eighth-inning defensive replacement on Saturday but didn’t record an at-bat in the 7-0 victory. 

The Brewers drafted Mitchell 20th overall in 2020, and the 23-year-old entered the season as the 94th ranked prospect at Baseball Prospectus.

This season, Mitchell spent time at the rookie ball, Double-A, and Triple-A levels, compiling a .804 on-base plus slugging percentage with five home runs and 34 runs batted in. The University of California product is expected to start in center field. 

Milwaukee has lost a lot of ground in the playoff race over the last month, falling 6.0 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the division lead and 2.5 games back of the final wild card spot. They have an implied advantage in Sunday’s series finale against the Cubs, entering the contest as -168 favorites, per the line info from FanDuel Sportsbook.