Brewers' Garrett Mitchell Has Surprising Connection to Angels' Garret Anderson

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Feb. 25, 2023. | USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Mitchell is a bit too young to remember the Angels' 2002 World Series championship parade. The Milwaukee Brewers' center fielder, now 28, still has plenty of formative memories of the Angels teams he watched growing up in nearby Orange.

Because his family had season tickets in left field at Angel Stadium, one player burnished more memories in Mitchell's mind than others: Garret Anderson.

One day before the Brewers played the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Mitchell spoke at length about the late outfielder, who died in April at age 53.

"I had a personal relationship with him once I went to (Orange Lutheran) high school," Mitchell said of Anderson. "His son and I, Trey, went to high school together. So I got to have some good conversations with him, take some blasts into the past and talk about memories."

The Angels can't be too displeased that they passed on Mitchell when he was available in the 2020 MLB Draft. They drafted pitcher Reid Detmers out of Louisville with the No. 10 pick; the Brewers selected Mitchell out of UCLA 10 picks later.

In the years between his first game at Angel Stadium and his hearing his name called on draft day, Mitchell converted from shortstop to the outfield. Because of his ambitions as a middle infielder, Mitchell enjoyed watching the Angels' combo of David Eckstein and Adam Kennedy as a youth.

"And I also have a personal relationship with Adam Kennedy as well," Mitchell said.

Much of the Angels' identity during the early years of Mike Scioscia's managerial tenure can be traced back to those three players. None were the most physically gifted athletes, but each had excellent bat-to-ball skills and maximized his talent.

Anderson, for example, only hit 30 home runs in a season once in a 17-year career, at a time when 30-homer seasons were more common than any previous point in MLB history. But he batted .296 as an Angel, and was a favorite of Scioscia's for his ability to put the ball in play and advance baserunners.

"I always loved how they played the game. It was always exciting," Mitchell said of those Angels teams. "It kind of reminds me now, being older, like how (the Brewers) play in a way too. Like I said, guys who maybe aren't the greatest or the best on the field but know what they've got to do and know their roles and grind and compete to the best of their abilities, and that's what it takes. It's a team effort."