Lower Moreland Grad Moving up Ranks in Pro Baseball

The journey from the minors to the big leagues can be grueling with long bus rides, a small paycheck and generally playing in farm towns seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

But for Lower Moreland graduate Gary Mitchell, he’s just happy to get his career off to a good start regardless of where he’s playing. Mitchell became a professional in 2010 and has made his way through the Arizona League, the Pioneer League and now currently plays for Cedar Rapids, the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Mitchell, 23, an outfielder who graduated from Neumann College, has moved up latter in the Angels organization every year. In 2010 – his first year as a pro – Mitchell didn’t hit a single home run. This season, he’s tied for fourth in the league with 10 long balls in 49 games played.

Mitchell is a regular in the Cedar Rapids’ lineup racking up 41 hits, 31 runs, 28 RBI’s and a .352 on-base percentage.

Mitchell, who played for the Lions under coach Lou Byck a handful of years ago, became the fist played ever taken in the MLB Draft from Neumann, a Division III school. He was taken in the 21^st round of the 2010 Draft by Anaheim.

[Read the complete story]

In his days as a youth growing up in the area, Mitchell spent time playing American Legion in the PenDel League.