Adam Miller has the stuff scouts dream of when thinking of a number one starter in the Major Leagues. The 21-year-old has a rare combination of a power arm and a feel for pitching.
His explosive fastball comfortably sits in the 91-95 mph range. His slider is nasty at 84 mph. Miller has command of both. While the youngster continues to harness a changeup that will help take him to the big leagues, he continues to endure minor arm woes that have been speed bumps in his career.
The 2006 season has been no different, as the right-hander took a break in early July, prompting Miller to miss the Futures Game in Pittsburgh.
The young Texan didn’t let the setback ruin his July, as Miller ended the month 4-0, with a miniscule 0.29 ERA. Through 21 appearances this season, Miller posted an 11-5, 3.08 mark for the Akron Aeros in 2006. He stands at No. 21 on the FAB50 for this season.
“Adam’s doing a great job of locating his fastball, and he’s not afraid to pitch inside to either right-handers of lefties,” said Aeros manager Tim Bogar of Miller early in the 2006 season. “He has great movement and pretty good velocity. He just make batters uncomfortable up there.”
The Indians made Miller a first-round sandwich pick after a senior season in which he went 10-2, 0.56 with 117 strikeouts in 75 innings, while issuing just 16 walks for McKinney (TX) High School.
A sore shoulder in his pro debut restricted him to 32.2 innings in 10 starts for the Burlington Indians, but at the close of the season Appalachian League managers still recognized Miller to be the top prospect in the circuit.
His 2004 season placed Miller in the spotlight. After handling the Sally League with a 7-4, 3.36 in 19 starts, he piggybacked that with a dominating close to the season helping the Kinston Indians claim the Carolina League title.
During the playoff run Miller tossed 14 innings without allowing an earned run, while registering 101 mph on the radar gun during Game 4 of the championship series.
"I didn't think I was throwing that hard," Miller said later in an interview. "But when I asked one of my teammates who was charting the game, he said, `Oh yeah, three guns got it.' "
The lanky hurler also led the Indians organization in strikeouts (152), while claiming the Bob Feller Award as the top pitcher in the Indians farm system in 2004.
Unfortunately, a strained ligament in Spring Training 2005 cost Miller a good portion of the campaign in which he struggled to regain his stuff. He went a combined 2-4, 4.86 with Mahoning Valley and Kinston, allowing more hits than innings pitched for the first time in his minor league career. Miller didn’t fare much better in the Arizona Fall League, going 1-1, 5.86 in six outings.
However, 2006 has been a rejuvenating experience for the talented youngster from Texas. While Miller’s fastball may not reach the century mark, his combination of power and pitching savvy should find him on the Jacobs Field mound in the near future… barring any more speed bumps.
- C.J. CARLSON
