Dodgers move pitching prospect Miller to outfield

LOS ANGELES -- Aaron Miller, the Dodgers' first-round sandwich pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft as a left-handed pitcher, has been moved from the mound to the outfield.

Miller, 25, had been an outfielder at Baylor University until becoming a pitcher his sophomore season. He was taken 36th overall as a pitcher by the Dodgers as compensation for Atlanta's signing of free agent Derek Lowe.

Miller was the Dodgers' top pick that year after they lost their first-round pick as compensation for signing free agent Orlando Hudson. They paid Miller a bonus of nearly $900,000. Three years earlier, he had been drafted as an outfielder by the Colorado Rockies, but did not sign.

Miller was 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA at Chattanooga this year, his second season there but first as a reliever. Cumulatively, he's 20-19 with a 4.03 ERA.

"This was something the organization has been talking about for close to a year," said vice president for player development De Jon Watson. "His velocity had dropped and he's had some nagging injuries.

"He was a two-way player coming out of Baylor when we drafted him, and we liked what we saw in his bat when he pitched. We felt this was the right time to make the switch, given his age and his desire to continue pursuing his big league dream and help this organization."