A’s fans have one thing to be excited about.
Miller, 25, has been the best reliever in baseball so far this season. But what makes him a fascinating player isn’t just that he’s sitting down opposing hitters with ease—it’s how he’s doing it. As if that wasn’t intimidating enough for hitters, Miller also throws one of the best sliders in the game. Hein average vertical drop and 22nd in average horizontal movement.
Wednesday afternoon’s game in Oakland was more of the same, as Miller mowed down the Pittsburgh Pirates in order in the ninth inning to lock up a 4–0 win for the A’s. He threw just 10 pitches, eight of which were strikes. He totally baffled Henry Davis withand got him to strike out. The other two outs came on harmless ground balls. It wasn’t a save situation, but it was his 11th straight scoreless outing.
The A’s, expected before the season to be the saddest team in baseball, are actually off to a pretty good start. They’re 15–17, which certainly isn’t great, but the bar is different for a team that went 50–112 last season and is currently playing games in front of a 90%-empty stadium as it prepares to ditch its longtime home in favor of a minor league park.
Oakland’s bullpen is a major reason why it has found that unexpected level of success. Last season, the A’s ranked dead last in bullpen WAR at Fangraphs. This year, they’re third. Last year, they had the third-worst bullpen ERA in the majors. This year, it’s the second best. And it isn’t just Miller. Veteran Austin Adams has a 1.86 ERA in 14 appearances and Lucas Erceg has a 1.42 ERA in 13 games.
As dire as things are for the A’s right now, Miller’s emergence as an elite shutdown reliever gives them hope that, whenever they decide they want to try to start winning again, they’ll have an unstoppable force at the back of the bullpen. Cubs Should Take Chance On Veteran
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