Could Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller be going down to the minors?
The big story around major league baseball is how disappointing Matt Harvey has been, but right up there has been Arizona Diamondbacks’ embattled right-hander Shelby Miller. It’s been a struggle for him to say the least.
Last year he was an All-Star with a losing record because the Atlanta Braves stunk. Now he has a losing record because he’s not pitching well.
His latest bad outing came on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he gave up six more runs over five innings. He now sits at 1-6 with a 7.09 ERA, his lone win coming ironically against the Braves.
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The Diamondbacks gave up last year’s number one overall pick in Dansby Swanson, along with top prospect Aaron Blair and outfielder Ender Inciarte to get Miller. Now, Miller may find himself in the minors, trying to get his season back on track.
#Dbacks Stewart on chance of optioning Miller:"We want to get him on track the best way we can. We will figure it out and do what's needed."
— Jack Magruder (@JackMagruder) May 26, 2016
Miller is currently scheduled to pitch on Sunday vs the Padres and with Josh Collmenter close to returning from injury, it could give them a way to send Miller down.
Miller is just 25 years old, even though it feels like he’s been around a lot longer. The Diamondbacks invested a ton in Miller to combine him with Patrick Corbin and Zack Greinke. They need to figure out a way to get things right for him.
In 45 innings, Miller has struck out 30 and walked 29. Way too many walks. His K/9 ratio is just 5.91, his worst as a professional.
Per Fangraphs, I noticed something interesting about his fastball percentage. Last year, his fastball percentage was 33%, while his two seamer was at 34%. This year? 58.8% four seam fastball and just 4.7% two seam fastball. Why the Diamondbacks have eliminated that pitch? In the meantime, his fastball velocity is down 1.5 MPH this year.
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Like the Mets, the Diamondbacks have a dilemma with a young right-hander. The Mets are going to let Harvey pitch through it as he is scheduled to make his next start. Miller may find himself in AAA. Both teams need their starters to find their old form quickly, otherwise it could get uglier in New York and Arizona.