Trying to turn on pro mini 5v with transistor

Circuit should work, try 1K for R1. 6V is the absolute max supply voltage for the microcontroller. The transistor will drop a couple tenths but fresh AA cells will deliver a bit more than 6V. So it's close.

The power LED on the Pro Mini might account for the 2.5-3mA current while the MCU is sleeping. Some folks remove the LED for low-power projects.