Making the move from starter to reliever is never an easy proposition.
For a player like Bobby Miller — a former first round pick with immense upside — making the switch at this point in his career probably seems far from ideal. The nuances for each role are different, and the reality in not pitching extended innings surely is something to acclimate to.
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Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain had an interview recently with Miller in which the duo touched upon several interesting topics.
In particular, McKain pressed Miller on how the adjustment from being a starter to coming out of the bullpen has gone. Miller was quite candid in breaking down the transition.
“It’s a lot different,” Miller said on Dodgers Dougout Live. “A lot of it is kind of the same. Attack each hitter, stay in attack mode, get strike one just like you would want to do as a starter. The whole routine has been the biggest adjustment for me. Still to today, still trying to find that perfect routine for me.
“You throw earlier in the day, and then hours later be ready to pitch in the game in any inning. That was the biggest adjustment for me — not having my normal starter prep before a game.”
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Miller does admit that he’s “enjoying the process” — and the results clearly do speak for themselves.
Around July 27 is when Miller fully made the move to the bullpen. Since becoming a full-time reliever, the 26-year-old has thrown seven innings allowing three hits and one earned run.
While the sample size isn’t overly big, this is something to take note of given Miller’s talent and newfound success. The Dodgers still have a major need for consistency within their bullpen. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities for Miller to come up and be an impact arm down the stretch.
He’s already proven he can get big league hitters out with an elite fastball. As he gets more and more comfortable in his new role, Miller may end up being somewhat of an impact ‘deadline acquisition’ despite the fact he was already in the organization.
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Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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3 Responses
Trade him during the offseason.
Young pitcher that has been throwing strikes and been effective. That is what the team needs to be successful in the sprint to the playoffs and the playoffs themselves, Obviously the addition of Yates and Scott have been an absolute failure. Hey sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Friedman lost last winter with his acquisitions so far. I think Sasaski will eventually be great.
I agree on all of this. But Yates/Scott can turn things around with a successful September/October. A strong performance then and all of a sudden it’s a good signing considering the impact