The Dodgers, who have been historically good at developing young players, just selected a player that may be on the fast track to the majors.
With the 29th pick in the draft, they took Louisville right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller.
“The 21-year-old has the confidence to win a Cy Young and to be an All-Star”
-Al Leiter, MLB Network
Miller is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, which helps him power his fastball to triple digits and put away hitters. He pairs that fastball with a nasty changeup, which Al Leiter dubbed “major league-ready.”
This is MLB Pipeline’s scouting report:
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 an 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.
