Jalen Miller Stats & Scouting Report

AB	3049
AVG	.235
OBP	.296
SLG	.369
HR	66

Full name Jalen John Miller
Born 12/19/1996 in Atlanta, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Riverwood International Charter School
Drafted in the 3rd round (95th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 2015 (signed for $1,100,000).

View Draft Report

Shortstops are one of the strength of the 2015 draft class and Miller is one of the top high school players at the position. While scouts are impressed with his defensive skills, they are divided about whether he will be able to stay at shortstop as a professional. Some believe his plus speed and soft hands will be enough to keep him at the position. Others think his average arm strength and infield actions are better suited for second base. Miller has a good feel for the barrel and his balanced righthanded swing allows him to make a lot of contact at the plate. He has some pop in his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame, but he's close to physically mature and is unlikely to develop more than average power. He has good athleticism and plays the game easily. He earns praise for his makeup, intelligence and baseball instincts. Teams that view Miller as a shortstop will likely rate him as a first rounder. Those that seem him as a future second baseman will have him a little lower on their draft boards.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: A third-round pick out of Sandy Springs, Ga., Miller was considered one of the best all-around high school shortstops in the 2015 draft. Miller has played mostly second base since joining the Giants' organization, however. He struggled during his first three years but was much improved while playing for high Class A San Jose in 2018.

Scouting Report: After aggressively pushing Miller in his first two full seasons in the minors, the Giants allowed Miller to repeat high Class A in 2018, when he was still just 21 years old. The move paid off, as Miller got on-base at a higher clip and showed improved power with the ability to impact the baseball more often. Miller will never draw many walks, and he still chases too many pitches outside of the strike zone, but he has the potential to be an average hitter with fringe-average power. Defensively, Miller is an above-average second baseman with the ability to play shortstop in a backup role. He has a fringe-average arm, but he's a plus runner and shows solid range in the field with the ability to steal bases, as well.

The Future: Lauded for his makeup and work ethic, Miller will be tested at Double-A Richmond in 2019. If he's able to produce like he did in 2018, then there's still hope he could be an everyday second baseman in the majors. If he struggles to hit the more advanced pitching, then Miller's future could come as backup or utility infielder.
When the Giants assigned shortstop Lucius Fox and second baseman Jalen Miller to low Class A Augusta in 2016, they expected growing pains. They weren't disappointed. Fox and Miller both struggled to survive against more advanced pitchers. Eventually the Giants traded Fox to the Rays for Matt Moore, but Miller kept on muddling in the South Atlantic League. Pitchers feasted on his over-aggressiveness from April to September. With a quick bat, Miller can catch up to any fastball, but he struggles to hang in on breaking balls and changeups and is too impatient to lay off fastballs. He could get to 10 home run eventually, but he must swing at better pitches. Miller's below-average arm keeps him from being an everyday shortstop, but his soft hands, above-average range and improved internal clock makes him a potentially above-average second baseman. He's also an above-average runner. Miller will try Augusta again in 2017.
The Giants have enviable middle-infield depth throughout the organization with shortstop Brandon Crawford and second baseman Joe Panik forming the big league double-play tandem, Kelby Tomlinson ready to fill in, No. 1 prospect Christian Arroyo rising through the system and Lucius Fox added as the club's big-money international signing in 2015. But Miller's combination of easy athleticism and prodigious tools enticed San Francisco to sign the 2015 third-rounder for a well above-slot $1.1 million. Scouts are divided on whether Miller will end up at shortstop or second base--his hands work well, but he'll have to be more consistent with his footwork and his throwing mechanics to allow his average arm to play at shortstop. His internal clock needs fine-tuning, seeing as he currently rushes throws when he has plenty of time to get his feet set. At the plate, Miller has work to do. He has a simple line drive-oriented swing that should enable him to sting line drives from gap to gap and produce a handful of home runs eventually. He has plenty of bat speed but little projection left in his frame. Like many young hitters, he struggled with pitch selection in his pro debut. Miller is a solid-average runner whose advanced feel for the game showed up on the basepaths. He should advance to short-season Salem-Keizer in 2016.

Draft Prospects

Shortstops are one of the strength of the 2015 draft class and Miller is one of the top high school players at the position. While scouts are impressed with his defensive skills, they are divided about whether he will be able to stay at shortstop as a professional. Some believe his plus speed and soft hands will be enough to keep him at the position. Others think his average arm strength and infield actions are better suited for second base. Miller has a good feel for the barrel and his balanced righthanded swing allows him to make a lot of contact at the plate. He has some pop in his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame, but he's close to physically mature and is unlikely to develop more than average power. He has good athleticism and plays the game easily. He earns praise for his makeup, intelligence and baseball instincts. Teams that view Miller as a shortstop will likely rate him as a first rounder. Those that seem him as a future second baseman will have him a little lower on their draft boards.