Miller lights up radar gun (101.2!) in season debut

Dodgers' second-ranked prospect peppers eight triple-digit heaters in 1st

April 30th, 2023

Two things are officially back in Triple-A: Bobby Miller strikeouts and triple-digit readings on radar guns.

The flamethrowing right-hander and No. 21 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline made his long-awaited season debut Saturday night for Triple-A Oklahoma City -- and he was throwing gas.

In 3 1/3 innings of work, Miller fanned two, while allowing one run on one hit. A stat line that does not give you the whole story.

Miller was sidelined for Spring Training and the first month of the season due to shoulder soreness, but the velocity on his fastball Saturday suggested his shoulder was feeling just fine. Miller said he is satisfied with his performance, but still has places he can improve.

“Physically, I felt really good,” Miller said. “I was happy about getting back out here again, I missed having some real season games. Not my best stuff today, but I got out of there with only one run and felt like my pitch count was pretty good.”

If this was not his best stuff, then the baseball world should be on notice for when that comes.

Miller’s only hit and run allowed came in the first inning. After striking out the first batter he faced, the Illinois native plunked the Giants’ No. 20 prospect Heliot Ramos and then let up a single to Matt Beaty, plating a run.

After the Beaty single, Miller settled in, getting Gary Sánchez to strike out looking and then setting down the next seven batters he faced.

According to Statcast, the Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect threw eight pitches at or over 100 mph in, the first inning, reaching a max velocity of 101.2 mph.

The 2020 first-round pick credits his gas to some mechanical changes he made last season.

“Right before the season started last year was when I started getting that jump [in velocity],” Miller said. “I started focusing on moving better on the mound.”

In addition to his 70-grade fastball working, the 24-year-old's curveball also had crazy movement. Statcast credits Miller with the top five breaking pitches in the game, all with his curve and all between 54 and 61 inches of vertical break. He says this is a pitch that can be a game changer when he throws it for strikes.

“The changeup felt really good,” Miller said. “That was a pitch I struggled with last year, but I think it’s a really important pitch for me to have on. ... The curveball is a big separator for me, I didn’t throw too many of those tonight, I thought I could have thrown a little bit more of those, but I’ll build off that and keep mixing all my pitches.”

The run in the first inning would be the only one that Oklahoma City allowed, propelling them to a 5-1 victory.

The outing is a good starting point for the 6-foot-5 righty, who hopes that he can continue the success he had in 2022.

“Just keep going further in games, not walking guys,” Miller said. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of that in the past few years, keeping all of my pitches there and landing the offspeeds early.”

Last season, Miller split time between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A, posting a 4.25 ERA through 24 games while striking out 145 batters and posting an 11.62 K/9 rate -- that’s impressive in 112 1/3 innings of work and should be fun to watch this season.