An early-season arm injury significantly changed Brandon Mitchell’s role on the Edmonds-Woodway High School baseball team this spring.
Mitchell was slated to be the team’s shortstop and No. 2 starting pitcher, but instead was relegated to first base and designated-hitter duty for most of the season.
Mitchell was disappointed, but he stayed positive. He focused on becoming a team leader. And the injury didn’t preclude him from hitting.
“Not being able to pitch and play shortstop was a huge thing for him to overcome,” Warriors coach Dan Somoza said. “But he never complained about it. He put all of his energy into punishing baseballs, and he did that really, really well.”
He certainly did. Mitchell hit .432, with a .567 on-base percentage, .797 slugging percentage and four home runs, and was an integral part of an Edmonds-Woodway team that took fourth place in the Class 3A state tournament.
Mitchell is The Herald’s 2017 Baseball Player of the Year.
“I was pretty bummed because I was going to pitch a lot this year, and I was looking forward to being part of a top pitching staff,” he said. “(The injury) changed my perspective. I had to step up more in the hitting aspect of the game to make up for the loss of the arm.
“I had to figure out a way to stay vocal and lead through the example of my hitting and being positive on the bench or at first base or whatever I was doing.”
Mitchell attributed his success at the plate to the fact that his mind was clear after signing a letter of intent to continue his career at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.
“I had the ability to relax,” he said. “After I committed, the stress went away. I didn’t have to worry about a college coach (seeing me fail). That would get in my head, and that’s when I would do my worst.”
“He was always a good hitter, but this year he was unbelievable,” Somoza said. “It felt like he had a chance to hit every pitch hard. He never slumped. He was aggressive, but he was also patient, and he was always ready to hit. He has a ton of bat speed, and when a hitter has the confidence Brandon had, good things will happen. He was so comfortable in the box this season — you could tell that nobody was going to get anything by him.”
Mitchell was especially comfortable at the plate during high-leverage moments. He recorded three walk-off hits this spring — a home run against Marysville Pilchuck on March 31, a home run against Snohomish on April 28 and a single to beat Snohomish again in a 4A District 1 tournament game on May 9.
“We worked on our breathing at almost every practice, and did yoga before games,” he said. “We’d figure out our (ideal) breathing technique and imagine game-like scenarios. That helped with confidence a lot, especially in those tense scenarios. I usually visualized myself hitting a deep double or home run. Visualization was a big thing for me to help me prepare for those situations.
“When I was a freshman, we played Snohomish in a winner-to-state game — the same scenario as this year. I was supposed to bat (in the last inning), but I had struck out three times (earlier), and another player took my place and he hit a walk-off. So I guess I got my redemption against Snohomish this year, and that felt really good. When you hit a walk-off, there’s no feeling like it.”
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