Dodgers News: Bobby Miller Finally Set to Make Season Debut This Week
It is almost Miller time. Top pitching prospect, Bobby Miller, is set to make his 2023 debut for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers this week. Whether it’s on Friday or Saturday depends on the weather. OKC broadcast Alex Freedman reported the news on Twitter on Tuesday.
For those that may have missed it, Miller was in camp with the Dodgers during spring training but never suited up for a game. The right-handed flamethrower came into spring training with a sore shoulder. The team opted to slow play their number 2 prospect out of an abundance of caution.
What’s the Story with Bobby Miller?
For Miller, the story is a bit mixed, depending on which prospects experts you talk to. His ceiling is as high as a front of the rotation ace and his floor is as low as dominant reliever at the backend of the bullpen. The 2020 first round draft pick (29th overall) has a fastball that can hit triple digits but needs to command it a bit better. He’s also struggled with consistency with his breaking pitches over his two minor league campaigns.
If things go well enough for him over the next month or two, he’s someone that could find his way onto the Dodgers’ big league pitching staff. But, at this point in time, whispers out of LA have Gavin Stone leapfrogging Miller as the next big arm to watch.
In 41 career games in the minor leagues (37 starts), Miller owns a 9-9 record with a 3.63 ERA over 168.2 innings pitched. He pitched in the Futures Game last season at Dodger Stadium and currently ranks as the number 24 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
Nelson on the Mend
Also joining Miller at AAA this week is right-handed reliever Jimmy Nelson who hasn’t pitched at the big league level since blowing out his elbow in 2021. He signed back with LA last offseason with the expectation of being a weapon out of the bullpen but he struggled mightily with location and velocity during the Cactus League season, forcing the Dodgers to place him on the IL to open the season. He’s been working to regain what he’s lost and is at a make or break point in his comeback attemp.
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