Does Andrew Miller turn it around next season?

[missionhockey21]

We know about his ceiling and a 6-6 lefty with big stuff is probably the closest a scout comes to feeling aroused without being around woman. Then again he has struggled with the Marlins and by struggled, I mean his control simply has not been honed in yet. Miller is still young, set to turn 25 next season, and he wouldn't be the first big lefty to figure it out a little bit later.

So what are your thoughts? Does Miller put it together soon or he is one of those guys that will bounce around living off the fact that he was once a high draft pick and a prized talent?

MIAMI -- Relying so heavily on youth, the Marlins understand the importance of patience.

Not every player is a finished product when they take the field for the first time. Granted, the organization has been spoiled when it has seen immediate success out of players like Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson.

In the case of Andrew Miller, the 24-year-old continues to go through some growing pains.

Still, the organization sees a tremendously gifted player who is looking to put it all together.

The 6-foot-7 former first-round Draft pick is coming off a rough season. He dealt with a demotion to Triple-A New Orleans in July, and then a Minor League disabled list stint due to a right ankle injury. When he returned to the roster, he was used in a relief role.

Miller finished 3-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 20 games, with 14 of them starts.

In hopes of getting Miller on track, the Marlins have sent the lefty to the Arizona Fall League, where he will pitch for the Mesa Solar Sox.

"I've been given a lot of opportunities. I haven't necessarily taken them and run with them yet," Miller said. "But I still think I'm young. I think I have plenty of time to hopefully keep working towards that goal."

When the Marlins acquired Miller from the Tigers in 2007, they were hopeful that he would be a top-of-the-rotation starter. In the blockbuster deal for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins received Miller, outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Burke Badenhop and three other prospects.

Thus far, Miller's first two years with the Marlins have been a struggle. He's a combined 9-15 with a 5.43 ERA in 49 games with 34 starts.

Miller opened 2009 as the Marlins' fifth starter, and he will be given a chance to win a rotation spot in Spring Training.

The history of the game is replete with examples of pitchers who took a while to put it all together.

Randy Johnson, who broke into the big leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1988, labored a couple of seasons and was dealt to Seattle. In 1990, at age 26, Johnson had his first breakthrough season, going 14-11 (3.65) in 33 starts.

Sandy Koufax was 25 when he broke out with an 18-13 season for the Dodgers in 1961.

Not to say Miller's career will at all mirror those of Johnson or Koufax, but they, too, took a while before experiencing consistent big league success.

Like the 6-foot-10 Johnson, Miller is a rangy left-hander who has dealt with command issues early in his career.

An objective in the Fall League is to get Miller some innings while having him refine his delivery.

"I think there are some mechanical problems that are hampering me from throwing pitches where I want to," Miller said. "It's just a process. You have to figure it out as you go."

Because he was optioned to the Minor Leagues in July, and spent time on the disabled list, he was limited to 80 innings at the big league level. For the Zephyrs, he made three starts and was 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA.

And his total Minor League innings, counting some rehab appearances, was 28 2/3. So, he finished 2009 with a total of 108 2/3 innings.

Miller also had limited work in 2008, finishing with 107 1/3 innings with the Marlins, plus another 19 1/3 innings in the Minor Leagues.

The Fall League will give him a chance to build up some innings.

"I haven't thrown that much in general," Miller said. "I've got some things that I'm working on mechanically. In general, my ultimate goal is to throw more strikes.

"It hasn't been easy. I don't think I expected it to be. It is what it is. You try to make the most of it, learn from it, and eventually figure it out.

Miller headed to Arizona Fall League | marlins.com: News

[love_that_reefer]

I think Miller can start to go in the right direction. Another year is under his belt and he is still learning. Matt Cain just now reached his given potential in his 4th full year. Another question is will Cameron Maybin reach his potential sooner than later.

[Saber]

I predict he becomes a power reliever.

[realmofotalk]

Miller was overrated just because he is a tall lefty. He wasn't even the best college pitcher at the time he was drafted, as a short righthander from Washington beat him out for the Golden Spikes Award.

[redsrbetter]

Are we calling it an even bigger move for the Tigers when they sent him away for some of the greatest players ever to don a Fish uni?

[realmofotalk]

Miller and Maybin were bad draft selections by the Tigers. The Tigers just happened to sell both players while they were on the Baseball America hype bubble.

[realmofotalk]

On the other side, the Tigers got Dontrelle Willis in the deal and gave him a hefty contract extension right before his value crashed.

[Saber]

Actually, Willis sucked before he got the extension. The Tigers thought they could fix him.

[missionhockey21]

I'd disagree on Miller and Maybin being poor selections. In retrospect, sure, but at the time most scouts and draft discussions had both in the range from which the Tigers picked. Maybin was drafted a bit high and was riding some hype for sure, but I wouldn't say at the time that it was a poor selection.

[realmofotalk]

I admit I didn't follow closely the drafts in which those two were selected so I wasn't vocal about my biases. Plus, at that time I still believed the local former HS slugger Delmon Young was a sure thing.

But this isn't about me. It's about the scouts, the granddaddys of experience, who should have known better than to rate a raw "toolsy" outfielder out of high school as a top 10 pick.

As for Miller, I'm saying a bad selection just because I'm biased against lefthanded starters. Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia are exceptions, but teams eventually pay out of their ass to get it right.

[Saber]

Scouts are wrong less often than you think. Unfortunately, projecting the future can seem like witchcraft sometimes. Both Maybin and Miller are still considered good prospects, but each is flawed. Maybin hasn't developed enough power to harness the rest of his skills, and Miller has shitty control and no third pitch. That's still more going for them than 90% of minor leaguers, and I think both will have careers, if not great careers.

As for Delmon, that guy's problems are in his head, not the rest of him.

[realmofotalk]

BTW, I should clarify Maybin is the "toolsy" outfielder I'm referring to. Delmon can flat out hit if his head is in the game, as pointed out.

[missionhockey21]

I do agree that both could still have careers and possibly, even good ones at that. As you know, sometimes pitchers just need time. Look at Homer Bailey, while not yet panning out, his future is looking much brighter after developing a third competent pitch.

The fact that both Miller and Maybin made it to the majors and still have a ceiling to reach as Saber pointed out makes them at the very least, okay picks. The Reds have had high first round picks that didn't even make it out of AA, that is a bad selection.

[realmofotalk]

Usually, the third competent pitch that a pitcher needs is the change up. And if your arm is gifted, how hard can it really be? Place an extra finger on the ball, throw it with the same arm speed, and boom, a 10 mph decrease in velocity.

I'll say scouts are very good at separating the early round guys from the late round guys, but after that you can't trust them enough to burn a high pick on the "toolsy" position player or the "projectable" lefthander.

[realmofotalk]

Miller was sent to Triple-A. He was beaten out for the final spot in the rotation by the immortal Clay Hensley.