Tag: tyler miller

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Tyler Miller to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting corner infield prospect Tyler Miller from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Miller, 24, had been with Greenville since the start of the 2023 season. In his first 36 games this year, the left-handed hitter batted .275/.321/.450 with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, nine walks, and 28 strikeouts over 140 plate appearances for the Drive. He slashed .313/.365/.552 against right-handed pitching and just .171/.194/.171 against lefties.

Among 78 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League this season, Miller ranks 23rd in strikeout rate (20 percent) and OPS (.771), 17th in batting average and slugging percentage, 21st in isolated power (.176), 20th in line-drive rate (26 percent), 28th in swinging-strike rate (10.7 percent), and 30th in wRC+ (119), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Miller has primarily split his playing time between first and third base in 2024. With Greenville, the 6-foot-1, 193-pounder made 18 starts at first and 16 at the hot corner while committing six errors in 211 total defensive chances. He also has limited experience at all three outfield spots.

Miller was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn. The Alabama native signed for $157,800 that July and has since posted a slash line of .252/.313/.400 with 29 homers and 61 RBIs in 268 career games (1,106 plate appearances) across three different minor-league levels. He is not currently viewed by SoxProspects.com as one of the top 60 prospects in Boston’s farm system.

By making the jump to Portland, Miller should provide the Sea Dogs with additional depth at first and third base in the absence of Blaze Jordan, who has been sidelined since May 12 after fracturing his left ring finger on a play at the plate. Besides Jordan, Alex Binelas has been the only Sea Dogs player to log innings at both corner infield positions this year.

Miller, who does not turn 25 until December, is the first position player from Greenville’s 2024 Opening Day roster to receive a promotion to Portland. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, it appears as though the Red Sox opened a spot for Miller on the Sea Dogs’ roster by releasing reliever Cody Scroggins.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Tyler Miller named South Atlantic League Player of the Week

Red Sox corner infield prospect Tyler Miller has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of April 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Miller appeared in five of High-A Greenville’s six games against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Fluor Field this past week. The left-handed hitting 24-year-old went 9-for-18 (.500) with two doubles, one home run, four RBIs, four runs scored, one walk, and zero strikeouts.

After recording just two hits in his first two starts of the series, Miller went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs on Friday. He stroked three more hits, including a solo homer, on Saturday before singling and scoring a run on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to five games.

Miller, who is repeating at High-A to begin the season after spending all of 2023 with Greenville, has gotten his 2024 campaign off to an encouraging start. The left-handed hitting 24-year-old is currently batting .305/.349/.492 with five doubles, two home runs, seven runs driven in, 11 runs scored, four walks, and nine strikeouts over 16 games (63 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Among 88 qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Miller currently ranks seventh in batting average, 33rd in on-base percentage, ninth in slugging percentage, 17th in OPS (.841), 21st in isolated power (.186), eighth in strikeout rate (14.3 percent), third in line-drive rate (32.7 percent), 34th in swinging-strike rate (11.4 percent), and 18th in wRC+ (145), per FanGraphs.

Much like Blaze Jordan, who took home Eastern League Player of the Week honors for Double-A Portland on Monday, Miller has made eight starts at both first and third base for Greenville this year. The 6-foot-1, 193-pounder has committed just one error (at third base) in 83 total defensive chances between the two corner spots thus far.

Unlike Jordan, Miller is not regarded by publications such as Baseball America as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. The Alabama native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn University. He signed with the club for $157,800 and put up strong numbers in his debut season (.934 OPS in 27 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem) but has yet to graduate past the High-A level.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Miller — who does not turn 25 until December — can keep producing the way he has for Greenville and possibly make the jump to Portland later this year. He would probably benefit from someone with a similar profile, like Jordan, earning a promotion of his own.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Tyler Miller caps off productive weekend with Low-A Salem by crushing walk-off home run

Tyler Miller’s fifth home run of the season came at just the right time for Low-A Salem on Sunday night.

After Adenys Bautista blew a save opportunity by allowing the Lynchburg Hillcats to score two runs in the top half of the ninth inning, Miller was set to lead off the bottom of the ninth in what had become an 8-8 ballgame.

Having already gone 0-for-1 with one strikeout and a pair of walks on a rain-filled evening at Salem Memorial Ballpark, Miller found himself matched up against Hillcats right-hander Brauny Munoz. The left-handed hitter worked a 2-2 count before crushing a walk-off homer well over the right field wall to lift the Salem Sox to a 9-8 victory.

The 2022 season has been a tough one for Miller to date. It’s the 22-year-old’s first full campaign as a pro after being selected by Boston in the ninth round of last summer’s amateur draft out of Auburn University.

Following Sunday’s clutch performance, Miller is batting .193/.271/.370 (80 wRC+) with four doubles, one triple, five homers, 15 RBIs, 17 runs scored, three stolen bases, 10 walks, and 50 strikeouts over 31 games (133 plate appearances) this year.

After closing out the 2021 season with Salem, Miller returned to the Carolina League affiliate earlier this spring. The Alabama native held his own in April (122 wRC+), but had seen his production at the plate crater up until the latter half of Salem’s latest series with Lynchburg.

Miller played in the series opener last Tuesday and then rode the bench for two straight days. Since returning to Salem’s lineup on Friday, Miller has reached base in seven of his last 14 trips to the plate while putting together a three-game hitting streak.

Defensively, the 6-foot-2, 193 pounder has logged 62 innings at first base, 97 2/3 innings at third base, and 55 innings in left field. He has yet to commit an error at either of the three positions.

Miller, who does not turn 23 until December, is not yet regarded as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. He will likely spend the rest of the season in Salem before working his way up to High-A Greenville next year.

On that note, though, it will be interesting to see if Miller can use the momentum he gained over the weekend to turn his 2022 season around for the better beginning in Fredericksburg, Va. on Tuesday.

(Picture of Tyler Miller courtesy of the Salem Red Sox)

Red Sox select Auburn infielder Tyler Miller with No. 256 pick in 2021 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Auburn University infielder Tyler Miller with their ninth-round pick in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft at No. 256 overall.

Miller, 21, was regarded by Baseball America as the 397th-ranked prospect coming into the draft.

Previously selected by the Pirates in the 23rd round of the 2018 draft out of Spanish Fort High School, the Alabama native opted to attend East Mississippi Community College before transferring to Auburn for his sophomore year in 2020.

Most recently, the left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing Miller compiled a .313/.354/.601 batting line to go along with 10 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 61 RBI, 38 runs scored, three stolen bases, 15 walks, and 44 strikeouts over 51 games (231 plate appearances) with the Tigers this spring.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 193 pounds, Miller is quite versatile, as he has seen time at left field, right field, shortstop, third base, and first base throughout his two-year career at Auburn.

According to his Baseball America scouting report, “Miller’s power went almost exclusively to the pull side this spring and it came with a strikeout rate close to 20%, but more concerning than those whiffs might be a lack of walks, as he took a free pass just 15 times in 231 plate appearances—a 6.5% walk rate that was towards the bottom for SEC hitters. Another potential concern is Miller’s ability to recognize and hit breaking stuff, as scouts noted that he struggled with those pitch types this spring and almost all of his impact came against fastballs.

“Miller has played a number of positions at Auburn, including third base, shortstop and both corner outfield spots, but spent almost all of his time at first this spring.”

Theoretically, Miller could return to Auburn for his senior season next spring, though it seems more likely than not that he will wind up signing with the Red Sox.

That said, the recommended slot value for the 256th overall pick in this year’s draft is approximately $160,300.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Auburn University Athletics)