Newest Dodgers Prospect is a Defensive Whiz

Noah Miller, the minor league shortstop whom the Dodgers acquired from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday for outfielder Manuel Margot, is known by prospect aficionados for his glove. He was the Defensive Runs Saved leader among all minor league shortstops in 2023:

In an interview with the SIS Baseball Podcast, Miller revealed that his reputation with the glove isn’t merely a marvel among fans. Even his own brother — Milwaukee Brewers utility player Owen Miller — leans on the 21-year-old for defensive advice.

“We’ve been the opposite our whole lives. I’ve been the defensive guy. He’s been the hitting guy. So it’s kind of nice because in the offseasons I’m teaching him how to field, and he’s teaching me how to hit. It’s 100 percent been a huge impact to the game for me, having an older brother who’s been through it … me struggling offensively a little bit, I have a guy to talk to. He was hitting .300 in the big leagues in May so it’s nice to go to somebody and have somebody who’s been through it in the big leagues to talk to.”

— Dodgers minor leaguer Noah Miller, via the SIS Baseball Podcast

Miller spent the 2023 season with the Twins’ advanced Class-A affiliate and batted .223 with a .309 on-base percentage and .340 slugging percentage — poor numbers at any level. From July 1 onward, he had a more respectable .344 on-base percentage, buoyed by his patience at the plate.

The Dodgers have shown a fondness for players with a good eye. Miller, a switch-hitter, already understands that “plate discipline” means more than drawing walks. This was a focal point for him at the plate last year:

“What I’m working on is picking the right pitches to swing at more. Instead of swinging at that 1-0 changeup low and away, why not just take that and kind of elongate your at-bat instead of just getting yourself out and rolling it to second base? I have a very good contact skill but sometimes I know I have a very good contact skill, so I swing at everything. That’s probably the biggest thing. I’ve been walking a lot more too because of that.”

— Dodgers minor leaguer Noah Miller, via the SIS Baseball Podcast

If fans want to see Miller in the majors anytime soon, the Dodgers will need to see more from Miller as a hitter in 2024.

Photo Credit: Matt Dayhoff/Journal Star / USA Today Network