Louisville’s Bobby Miller presents an intriguing option for the Chicago Cubs in the first round as a potential starter or high-leverage reliever.
Ranked as the 28th best prospect in this draft class by Baseball America, Louisville’s Bobby Miller has the size of a prototypical starting pitcher and could be targeted by the Chicago Cubs with the 16th overall pick. He’s a local guy and went to McHenry High School, so he wouldn’t have to go far.
As a true freshman, he made 17 appearances – including nine starts – and struck out 55 batters in 66.2 innings while limiting opponents to a .198 average. He walked 21 batters, which equates to 2.8 batters over nine innings. Miller was named a Freshman All-American by three media outlets and participated in the Cape Cod League that summer.
He appeared in four games – including one start – and struck out ten batters in 16.0 innings. He also walked seven batters.
The following year on campus, Miller made 20 appearances – including 12 starts – and struck out 86 batters in 80.0 innings. His walk rate increased to 4.3 BB/9, but he limited batters to a .204 average.
Transitioning into Louisville’s rotation, Miller made four starts this year before the shutdown. In 23.1 innings, he struck out 34 batters and walked nine batters (3.5 BB/9) and limited batters to a .181 average. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, has the body of a starting pitcher, but he needs to harness the command of his pitches, obviously.
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Per BA, his fastball touches the upper 90s with late tailing action, and he complements that with an 85-mph changeup and an above-average slider. He has shown flashes of utter dominance, as demonstrated in his eight innings of no-hit ball to help Louisville advance to the College World Series last June.
In terms of delivery, Miller has a long throwing motion that eventually releases from the 3/4 arm slot. There’s a considerable difference in his delivery from the stretch with his leg kick almost non-existent versus with no one on base.
As a starting pitcher, Miller profiles closest to Boston’s Eduardo Rodriguez, but as a reliever, he profiles closest to Shane Greene.
Rodriguez 2019: 3.81 ERA, 8.6 H/9, 1.1 HR/9, 3.3 BB/9, 9.4 K/9
Greene 2019: 2.30 ERA, 6.7 H/9, 1.2 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9, 9.3 K/9
Miller Louisville career: 3.28 ERA, 6.5 H/9, 0.8 HR/9, 3.6 BB/9, 9.3 K/9