Brewers' Garrett Mitchell showcasing what he can do when healthy after missing last year's playoffs

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Garrett Mitchell spent his first four major league seasons fighting through injuries, including a shoulder issue that prevented him from joining the Milwaukee Brewers’ playoff run last year.

Finally healthy for a full year, Mitchell is playing a vital role in the Brewers’ push for their first World Series title.

Mitchell, 28, was the best player on the field in Milwaukee’s NL Division Series title-clinching victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. He created an indelible moment in Brewers history in the eighth inning by catching a fly ball from Manny Machado at the center-field wall before it could reach the seats and become a tying homer.

The former UCLA star from Orange, California, is eager to help the Brewers in their NL Championship Series rematch with the the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept Milwaukee last year. The best-of-seven series starts Sunday night in Milwaukee.

“I think we have a different type of confidence and belief in ourselves together as a team,” Mitchell said as the Brewers celebrated the NLDS title. “It’s just like a quiet, subtle confidence. It’s not showboaty.”

One major difference in this rematch is that the Brewers have Mitchell in the lineup. Last year, Mitchell played just 25 games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.

Mitchell never played more than 69 games any of his first four years in the majors as he dealt with a variety of injuries that included issues with his shoulder, oblique and finger.

The 145 regular-season games he appeared in for Milwaukee this season exceeded his combined total from 2022-25 (141). Mitchell hit .262 with a .354 on-base percentage, 11 homers, 65 RBIs and 14 steals.

In Milwaukee’s 3-1 Game 4 NLDS victory at San Diego, Mitchell went 2 for 4. He tripled and scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning before preserving the Brewers’ lead with his remarkable catch at the wall.

“He’s been phenomenal, and no one could have predicted this, either,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before the postseason. “When you’re looking at our team, maybe the reason we didn’t get picked early on to be as successful in the regular season was because the unknown about Mitchell. He had been injured for four years basically.”

Mitchell had shown glimpses in the past of what he could do when healthy.

He posted a 2.1 WAR (wins above replacement) while playing only 69 games in 2024. He hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning of a 5-3 Game 2 victory over the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series that year. He owns an .860 OPS in six career playoff games.

“Obviously everybody knew he was a super-talented player who could do everything on a baseball field,” Brewers designated hitter and captain Christian Yelich said. “I think people kind of got to see that this year with him being out there, what kind of contributions he’s made to our team.”

Mitchell has dealt with this kind of adversity before.

He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of nine. As he developed into the type of prospect capable of getting drafted in the first round, Mitchell remembers hearing questions about whether his status as a diabetic would impact how he would be able to handle the grind of a long baseball season.

“In my mind I took it more as kind of a sign of disrespect,” Mitchell said. “If you know the person, if you know the player, if you watch me play, that’s not the thing I think you worry about, because I’ve dealt with it for as long as I have.”

Mitchell grew up watching highlights of outfielder Sam Fuld, who played in the majors from 2007-15 while dealing with Type 1 diabetes. Yelich appreciated the opportunity to communicate with him while in high school.

Now he pays it forward by trying to set an example to other young athletes with similar health situations.

“I’m just trying to show no matter what obstacles are in your way and whatever’s thrown at you in your life, if you trust and believe in yourself, nothing can really stop you,” Mitchell said.

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