by Cary Osborne
For the third time in six years, the Dodgers have selected a University of Louisville talent in the first round of the MLB Draft.
The Dodgers took Louisville right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller 29th overall in the first round of Wednesday’s 2020 MLB Draft.
In 2016, the Dodgers drafted catcher Will Smith from Louisville. In 2015, they drafted right-handed pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, who didn’t sign.
Miller, a 6-foot-5-inch, hard-throwing junior pitcher, was ranked as the 26th overall draft-eligible prospect by MLB.com. He made four appearances in the shortened 2020 season and had a 2.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 34 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.
In 2019, Miller had a 3.83 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 86 strikeouts and 38 walks in 80 innings. A highlight moment of his amateur career took place in the 2019 NCAA Super Regional against East Carolina on June 8. Miller took a no-hitter into the ninth inning. He ended up allowing one hit in eight innings of work, propelling the Cardinals into the College World Series.
Miller’s best scouting grade is for his fastball, according to MLB.com. He received a 65 on the 20 to 80 scale, followed by a 55 slider and 50 changeup.
Miller previously was selected in the 38th round by Baltimore in 2017 out of McHenry West Campus High in Illinois.
In 2018, he was a Freshman All-American at Louisville after going 6–1 with a 2.97 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings.
Here is the scouting report from MLB.com:
Louisville has recruited well in Illinois for years and landed both Miller and Reid Detmers from the Prairie State in 2017. A 38th-round pick that June by the Orioles, Miller moved into the Cardinals’ weekend rotation last March as a sophomore and has boosted his stock since. He took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of an NCAA super-regional playoff against East Carolina and wowed scouts with his velocity and slider during fall practice.
Miller’s fastball is notable for both its heat — he sat at 95–96 mph throughout his dominance of East Carolina and worked at 97–99 in shorter stints in the fall — and its heavy life. He also can miss bats with a slider/cutter that usually operates at 85–87 and reached 90 during the fall. He has faith in a splitter/changeup with similar velocity and employs a more traditional change in the low 80s.
With his strong 6-foot-5 frame, Miller has no difficulty maintaining his stuff into the late innings. However, there’s effort in his delivery that limits his control and has some scouts wondering if he’s destined to be a reliever in the long run. After maintaining his improved stuff and doing a better job of throwing strikes during the brief 2020 season, he could join Detmers in the first round.
