Miller's keys to All-Star first half: Consistency, control and ... less heat?

SAN DIEGO -- Two years ago, a young Mason Miller earned the win for the American League at the All-Star Game. He’d broken onto the scene as a rookie, and it was pretty clear then that he would be back -- probably several times.

Sure enough, Miller is headed to the All-Star Game again. But here’s the thing: This isn’t the same Mason Miller. Not at all. Somehow, he’s gotten even better. Miller is in the midst of one of the most dominant relief seasons in baseball history. He entered the Padres’ final series of the first half with a 0.96 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings.

So … how did he get here? How has Miller elevated his game from then to now? From “pretty good” to “best-in-the-world” good? Let’s take a look.

1. Consistency

This is the one Miller keeps coming back to. He was a young pitcher in 2024. Predictably, he was humbled a time or two.

And he learned from it.

“It’s just been consistency, really,” Miller said when asked about the driving force behind his success. “There are times and stretches throughout the season where you throw the ball really well and times where you’re throwing it a little bit worse. But [it's] just being able to compete when you don’t have your best stuff.”

In Miller’s eyes, that comes from experience. Because he thinks he’s otherwise the same pitcher he’s always been. His stuff, at least, was just as nasty in 2024 and '25. The difference, Miller says, is the know-how.

A mid-May outing against the Dodgers comes to mind. He walked a pair to begin the ninth inning. Then, in real time, he tweaked his mechanics and retired the last three Dodgers in order -- on 12 consecutive strikes -- to preserve a 1-0 victory.

Miller was not an All-Star last season. He is this season. There isn’t much difference between the two years, in his estimation.

“You take away probably two games from my year last year, it’s a really great year,” Miller said. “I’m kind of the same guy, just being a little bit more consistent.”

2. He’s throwing more strikes

Miller’s fastball sits 100-plus mph. He pairs that with a slider that gets the worst misses of any pitch in the big leagues. It’s a nasty combination -- two pitches that complement each other perfectly.

But they only do if Miller is throwing them for strikes.

That’s not to say Miller can’t get by with only one. But the reason hitters look so silly so often against him is because they have to account for both. And they have to account for both, because Miller is throwing them both for strikes.

“Zone percentage, count leverage -- I think I’m just a little bit better than I was then,” Miller said of his last trip to the All-Star Game. "That’s kind of the natural course as you spend more time in this game.”

What does that mean exactly? Well, he’s landing his pitches in the zone when he needs to -- his slider in particular. Per Statcast, he’s throwing his slider in the zone at a 45.4% clip this season -- up 2.9% from the last two seasons.

But that’s only half the story. When the count is even, Miller’s slider is in the zone around 50% of the time -- up 4-5% from the past few years. And that’s when he really needs it in the zone. Because then, he can throw it for chase later in the count.

3. Pitch selection

This is an extension of the last one. Miller has never thrown such a high percentage of sliders. That’s largely because he’s commanding them better than he ever has.

It’s also part of a league-wide trend: Even pitchers with big-time velocity are throwing non-fastballs more than ever.

Earlier this season Miller noted a goal of making it “like a coin flip” for the opposing hitter. He’s now actually throwing his slider more than his fastball this season -- 54.2% sliders to 42.8% fastballs (with a small handful of changeups mixed in). That’s a first -- with a good reason behind it.

“If you’re not able to take your A-swing, because you have to respect another pitch, I think that probably helps,” Miller said earlier this year. “If you set somebody up or lead a guy one way, then execute a heater, you end up with more strikeouts looking. Or more take strikes on a fastball that’s executed.

“If you go soft, go soft, then you go heater, it’s kind of putting a guy in a really hard situation to succeed against it.”

The result: Miller is making opposing hitters look silly. OK, he always has. But sillier than ever this year.