Adam Miller

Adam Miller: Right-handed Pitcher

Age: 22 Height: 6’4” Weight: 175 Bats: Right Throws: Right

Stats & Stuff: Miller was drafted out of high school in the 1st round of the 2003 Draft. After a very lackluster 2005 season, in 2006 Miller reaffirmed his status as the Indians #1 prospect. Miller finished the 2005 season with a 2-4 record and 4.86 ERA in 15 starts at Mahoning Valley and Kinston, and struggled to regain his confidence all year after a strained elbow ligament shelved him for the first few months of the season. But, in 2006 Miller returned 100% healthy in mind and body, and ended the season with a 15-6 record and 2.75 ERA as well as tallying up 161 strikeouts in 158.1 IP. In addition, Miller’s 15 wins set an Akron franchise record, passing Paul Byrd's 1992 franchise record of 14 wins in a season. His 161 strikeouts e also crushed the single-season team record of 149, which was set by Travis Driskill in 1996. Miller was named the Pitcher of the Year in the Eastern League, and won the Indians Bob Feller Award as the organization’s top pitcher in the minors.

The Good: The confidence is flowing once again with this kid, and the difference has been his fastball command and the confidence in his secondary pitches (slider and changeup). Early on in 2006, Miller was on a strict 85 pitch count in order to keep him healthy and fresh, but the pitch count actually helped force Miller to learn how to be more efficient as a pitcher. According to the Indians, two things Miller did in 2006 showed that he is progressing rapidly as a pitcher: 1.) he used all three of his pitches effectively, and 2.) his maturity as a pitcher began to show as he depended more on location with those three pitches rather than just sheer velocity. In other words, Miller no longer is just firing the ball in there, he is pitching.

The Indians were also impressed with the aggressiveness Miller displayed in attacking every hitter. While his velocity is down a little, he still was able to consistently touch 96 MPH in the 7th inning. One can only wonder if this “attack” mentality and the adjustments he made in becoming a pitcher were a direct result of his meeting with Roger Clemens last spring. Clemens came to Winter Haven during the spring last year and sat down with Miller to personally talk about his routine and provided some invaluable insight on pitching. The sit down apparently worked, and it energized Miller.

While he started the season slow, the second half of the season he was dominating. In a stretch of seven starts from early July to early August, Miller was 6-0 with a ridiculous 0.40 ERA (2 ER in 45.2 IP), and only allowed 29 hits while piling up 52 strikeouts. Miller was unbelievable the final two months of the season as he posted a 0.29 ERA in July and a 1.59 ERA in August. The reason for Miller’s resurgence is the development of his changeup, which is making his 95-97 MPH fastball and hard-biting 87 MPH slider practically un-hittable.

The Bad: Not much. Miller did struggle early last season because of inconsistent location of his fastball and his secondary pitches still being a work in progress. Also, he was unable to harness his emotions and adrenaline on a consistent basis in order to allow better command of his fastball and secondary pitches when behind in the count. But, by the end of the season these problems were gone and Miller’s game jumped to another level. His changeup is still a work in progress, but his slider currently grades out as an above average major league pitch.

The Outlook: For the Indians ever to become a serious post-season threat, they will need to find a right-handed front of the rotation starter to pair with lefty ace CC Sabathia. The likelihood of that happening via free agency is pretty much a pipedream, so such a pitcher will have to come from the farm system. The 21-year old Texan fire-baller might be the guy, and he is on the major league doorstep. With the changes to Rule 5 Draft eligibility, Miller no longer needs to be put on the 40-man roster for the 2007 season. With this change, unless the Indians have a desperate need for a starter, Miller likely pitches most of 2007 at Buffalo and could be in line for a rotation spot in Cleveland to start the 2008 season. He could essentially slide in and replace Jake Westbrook if he is not re-signed (or traded), or even Paul Byrd if his team option is not picked up.

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