In what’ll be one other tough season for the A’s, the entrance workplace is on the lookout for younger gamers to determine themselves as key long-term items. Within the first few weeks, nobody has proven extra promise in that regard than Mason Miller.
Miller was a third-round choose in 2021. His stuff had taken a serious step ahead throughout his last collegiate season. As The Athletic’s Stephen Nesbitt wrote final week, Miller had a tough time preserving on weight and sustaining his power till he was identified with Sort 1 diabetes in 2018. Whereas the first concern was in permitting Miller to navigate a severe well being situation, studying the right way to handle the problem permitted the 6’5″ righty to quickly bulk up. His velocity spiked into the mid-upper 90s, main the A’s to roll the cube on his upside.
Accidents basically robbed Miller of conventional minor league growth. He misplaced nearly all the 2022 season to shoulder points. He had pitched all of 28 2/3 skilled innings earlier than the A’s referred to as him up final April. He had a powerful four-start debut earlier than reporting forearm soreness. Testing revealed a light UCL sprain and the A’s shut him down for just a few months. Miller returned in September, working 2-3 inning stints to complete the yr. He closed his rookie marketing campaign with a 3.78 ERA in 33 1/3 innings.
Oakland GM David Forst introduced early within the offseason that Miller would work out of the bullpen in 2024. Forst instructed it wasn’t a everlasting swap. Fairly, the A’s had been utilizing the 25-year-old in shorter stints in an effort to maintain him wholesome earlier than a transfer again to the rotation in 2025. Whereas they actually had excessive hopes that his energy arsenal would translate, Miller has surpassed even the loftiest expectations within the first few weeks.
Together with tonight’s four-out save within the Bronx, Miller is as much as 11 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He has efficiently locked down all six of his save possibilities. After permitting two runs in his season debut in opposition to the Guardians, he has rattled off eight straight scoreless outings. 4 of these have been good innings during which he has recorded a number of strikeouts.
Miller has punched out 23 of 45 opposing hitters, the best strikeout charge within the majors. His already eye-popping stuff has leveled up in brief bursts. Miller’s fastball is sitting within the 100-101 MPH vary. Each the heater and his upper-80s slider have been basically untouchable.
Even in a minuscule pattern, it doesn’t appear outlandish to name Miller one of many prime relievers in MLB. The standard of the arsenal is self-evident. He’s lacking bats on the ranges we’ve seen from the likes of Edwin Díaz, Félix Bautista and Andrés Muñoz. Given his damage historical past, one can query whether or not he’ll be capable to keep wholesome all season. There’s no motive to doubt his expertise.
Miller fell simply shy of the cutoff for a full service yr in 2023. The A’s management him for six seasons. He’ll qualify for early arbitration as a Tremendous Two participant in the course of the 2025-26 offseason. That’ll permit him to undergo the arb course of 4 instances as a substitute of the usual three, but Miller might persist with the A’s by the ’29 marketing campaign.
Opposing groups will most likely attempt to persuade Forst to place Miller on the commerce block this summer season, but it surely’s arduous to see any sensible approach that he will get moved. Even rebuilding golf equipment hardly ever commerce relievers with the type of expertise that he possesses once they’re of their pre-arbitration seasons. That’s earlier than contemplating that the A’s presumably nonetheless intend to offer him an opportunity to compete for a rotation spot subsequent yr. If Miller turns in a full season as a prime 3-5 reliever within the sport, maybe they’d contemplate him too beneficial to take out of the bullpen, however there’s nothing to recommend their long-term plans have modified at this level.
Picture courtesy of USA Right now Sports activities.
