Justin Miller
| IP | 420 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.457 |
| WHIP | 1.557 |
| BB/9 | 4.264 |
| SO/9 | 5.164 |
- Full name Justin Miller
- Born 08/02/1987 in Scott City, KS
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Johnson County CC
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Drafted in the 6th round (206th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 (signed for $120,000).
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One of the nation's best junior college players who's not under control to a big league team from the 2006 draft, Miller offers high risk and a potential high reward. He's a risk because teams didn't get to see him pitch much this spring, just 18 innings because he doubled as Johnson County's right fielder and he came down with a tender arm in mid-April. Miller pitched just once afterward, a two-inning stint in which his fastball parked at 90 mph and he didn't throw a slider. Yet he's intriguing because he's a projectable 6-foot-3, 180-pound athlete whose fastball went from 86-87 mph as a high school senior to 88-90 last summer to regularly touching 92-94 earlier this spring. He also showed a mid-80s slider that was inconsistent yet promising. He's not polished and looks like a position player trying to pitch, but the raw material obviously is there. Miller committed to attend Wichita State, but a snafu with his core classes in high school prevented him from joining the Shockers. As a nonqualifier, he can't go to a four-year school until he receives his juco degree, and thus is considered very signable. Few teams got enough good looks to feel comfortable taking Miller as high as his ceiling would warrant, but he still could go in the first five rounds.
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Also a right fielder in college, Miller caught the Dodgers' eyes just before the draft when he hit 93 mph in relief, and did it again with seven shutout innings in a start against they Yankees in the Gulf Coast League playoffs. He became Great Lakes' Opening Day starter last year. Miller came within two outs of a no-hitter in August, a game the Loons eventually lost 3-2--typical of Miller's season. Despite an awful record, he ranked fifth in the organization in ERA at 3.99. Miller's two-way background has left him somewhat raw an inexperienced as a pitcher--he threw just 18 innings in juco ball--yet he makes up for it by being a good athlete with tough makeup. He features a heavy 88-92 mph sinker and throws a groundball-inducing slider, and got 2.77 groundouts for every airout in 2008. He can be inconsistent with his arm slot as he continues to learn proper mechanics, and that inconsistency led to an ugly 74-82 walk-strikeout ratio. Miller's changeup has come a long way but is still a work in progress, although he has shown a feel for it at times. If it all comes together, he could be a middle-of-the-rotation starter, but because of his lack of experience on the mound he may not develop quickly. -
Many scouts didn't get to see Miller pitch much last spring at Johnson County (Kan.) CC because he threw just 18 innings out of the bullpen while doubling as a right fielder. It didn't help that the Major League Scouting Bureau's video on Miller was a few poor-quality frames of him throwing in a gymnasium. Area scout Mitch Webster liked him all along, however, and when he and assistant GM Logan White saw him touch 93 mph in his final outing of the spring after he had missed a month with a tender arm, Miller was destined to be a Dodger. He signed for $120,000 after going in the sixth round. Clocked from 89-94 mph during his pro debut, he relies heavily on his fastball, which plays up because of its sink. During the GCL playoffs, he induced 16 groundouts and allowed just three hits in a seven-inning relief outing--during which he threw only one breaking ball. He's not polished and looks like a position player trying to pitch, but he has the makings of a second plus pitch in a low-80s slider. He hasn't developed a third offering yet. Miller lands on a stiff front leg and has a habit of not following through completely. He projects to have average command. He has a ceiling as a middle-of-the-rotation starter or a setup man. He'll most likely spend 2008 in low Class A.
