What to Expect From A’s Mason Miller in His MLB Debut – The Athletic

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Things are not going well for the 2023 Oakland Athletics. The team is bad, the owner is MIA and the fans are understandably fed up. It’s hard to tell if the team has hit rock bottom yet, but there certainly was a rock bottom Friday night when A’s pitchers spent an unfathomable 17 walks in an embarrassing 17-6 loss to the Mets. It was a historically poor performance.

But while that was happening in the Colosseum, a small ray of sunshine pierced the clouds some 560 miles southeast in Summerlin, Nevada. Right-hander Mason Miller — he of electric, three-figure fastball — did what seemed nearly impossible for the past four seasons: make pitching at the Las Vegas ballpark look easy. Miller, who started the season at the Double-A Midland but was called up to Las Vegas after a start, hit 16 Salt Lake Bees in his five-inning game. Only one reached base in a wild third-hit course. Miller K’d 11 and needed just 64 pitches to complete his five frames. After seeing it on MiLB.tv, I made the following statement:

Fortunately, no shoe eating will be required as Miller is scheduled to be called up Wednesday to make his major league debut in a start against the Cubs, a move first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara. Those following my coverage are likely familiar with Miller, who I ranked as the team’s 8th best prospect for spring. (Had I done my ranking after spring practice, he would have slipped higher as his stuff was even better that spring than he was last fall when he impressed scouts left and right in the Arizona Fall League.) For those who don’t know with Miller, or want a refresher, here’s what to expect from A’s most anticipated rookie debut since Jesús Luzardo emerged in late 2019.

The repertoire

Miller is primarily a three-pitch pitcher (four-seam fastball, cut-fastball, slider), although he does have a change that he’s starting to seep into game action. The four-seam fastball is his most used court, and with good reason. Miller brings elite speed to the field. On Friday, he threw 42 fastballs (of his 64 pitches) and averaged 100 mph with the pitch. His final throw on the outing was a 101-mile paint job on the outside corner.

Miller’s fastball is very firm and has a natural rise. He generally works with the fastball, but can change the hitter’s eye level with his cutter and slider, as you can see in this nifty statcast visual of Miller’s pitch motion from his Friday outing.

What to Expect From As Mason Miller in His MLB

The cut fastball, which averaged 95 miles per hour on Friday, is a relatively new playing field for Miller but has quickly become his best second offering. as Sam Haggerty found out this spring when he dubbed it a “demon place.” With a slider averaging 86 mph, Miller is the definition of a power pitcher, but he can still change speeds enough (between 84 and 102 mph) to throw hitters off balance. Its pitches also arrive quickly as it has a high (6ft) release point.

Miller hasn’t handled a hitter in his 8 2/3 innings between Midland and Las Vegas this season, and he’s only given up two hits — both solo homers in the Double-A outing. He’s only run six in 28 2/3 career minor league innings, though he does get quite a bit of swing-and-miss on courts outside the hitting zone, so it remains to be seen how his command will hold up against more patient MLB hitters . Of the 29 minor league hitters he faced this season, he has beaten 19 of them. When hitters have contacted Miller in the past, it has mostly been on the ground, but so far this season he has been a nominal fly-ball pitcher. His mistakes can be far away given the speed behind his pitches.

The structure

Just five years ago, Miller was a 150-pound right-hander on a Division III program. That year he discovered he had type 1 diabetes. Since his diagnosis, Miller has been able to revise his eating plan and gain weight. Since then it has steadily increased in speed every year. Miller is now listed at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, though he’s probably 20 pounds heavier. He has broad, muscular shoulders and a strong base, the kind of physique that should lend itself to getting deep into games.

However, Miller has yet to prove that he can be a workaholic guy. He pitched 98 2/3 innings between college and his pro debut in 2021, but missed much of last season with a strained right subcapular. He returned in time to throw 14 innings over three minor league levels (Rookie Ball, High A and Triple A) and he threw another 16 2/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League. His Friday outing was his first official professional outing of at least five full innings. In college, the 2021 season was the only time he surpassed 90 innings. That past doesn’t mean he won’t be a workhorse in the future, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the A’s hold Miller to a 70-80 pitch limit, at least early in the season. A Managing Director David Forst confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that Miller will be in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

The make-up

The A’s are in the midst of a rebuild and are looking for someone who can add a spark to their ailing pitching staff. In a competitive year, Miller probably wouldn’t debut just yet given his lack of major league (or minor league really) experience. But on a bad team, there’s no reason not to bring Miller up now. He’s already 24 due to an extended college trip and it’s clear minor league sluggers won’t pose much of a challenge for him no matter how many more he faces. The only way he’ll know if his command will hold up in a big league environment is against the big league hitters, so taking him to Oakland makes sense. Nervousness might be an issue on his first start (he had some command issues on his first AFL assignment, for example), but his coaches have raved about his work ethic and mature demeanor.

Miller, a third-round pick, is the first member of the A’s 2021 draft class to make it to the major leagues. He could just be the beginning of a much-needed youth movement for a struggling franchise.

(Top Photo: Jerry Kime / MLB Photos via Getty Images)