Bobby Miller (24), who was considered the future of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Major League (MLB), defended the team’s present once again.메이저놀이터
The Dodgers won a 6-1 home game against the 2023 MLB Washington Nationals held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on the 30th (Korean time).
The main character of the game that day was the rookie Miller. On this day, he fought hard with 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts and 1 run in 6 innings, winning 2 wins in 2 games of the season. This is the first time he has achieved a quality start (less than 3 earned runs in 6 or more starting innings).
Miller is the best prospect the Dodgers have endured and protected. He joined in the first round of the 2020 draft and initially possessed a fast ball, but was evaluated as more suitable for a bullpen than a starting pitcher due to his uneasy command. However, after that, he developed rapidly in the minor leagues and grew into an ace with an excellent fastball and a variety of breaking balls. Right before his debut, his prospect ranking jumped to 19th overall according to MLB.com.
Miller made his debut on the 24th in an away game against the Atlanta Braves. He also took his first win with 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts and 1 run in 5 innings against Atlanta, which is considered the best hitter in the National League. He recorded the highest speed ball at the time, 161.6 km / h, and showed the agility to quickly transform into a repertoire centered on breaking balls when the fast ball was attacked in the first inning.
Bobby Miller pitches against the Washington Nationals on the 30th (Korean time). AP = Yonhap News
With Miller’s performance, the Dodgers are able to fill some of the gap in the starting lineup. The Dodgers, who left Julio Urias with a thigh injury and Dustin May with an elbow injury, even ace Clayton Kershaw are sluggish after his mother’s death. In a crisis where veteran Noah Syndergaard and another rookie Gavin Stone both collapsed, Miller’s good fight was close to a ray of light.
The reason the Dodgers benefited from Miller was because he had endured sexual temptation over and over again. Miller, who has already been considered a top prospect since 2021, has been ranked as the Dodgers’ main seller in the trade market every year. However, the Dodgers kept Miller until the end and gave up some of the big trades, including Juan Soto. As a result, they are being rewarded this year when they need it most.
Washington Nationals Mackenzie Gore. Photo = Getty Images
There are also teams that are in the exact opposite situation with the Dodgers. National League West rivals San Diego. Unlike the Dodgers, San Diego traded most of its key prospects to Washington last summer for Soto. In particular, the person who was offered as the key price at the time was the young gun Mackenzie Gore. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 2017 draft, and was also ranked fifth overall in the 2020 prospect rankings. The modifier ‘the second Clayton Kershaw’ followed him, but San Diego gave up on him in order to recruit Soto.
Gore, who transferred like that, has grown into a key pitcher in Washington. He appeared in 11 games this season and became a strong pillar of the team with an average ERA of 3.57 with 3 wins and 3 losses. His pitch is also excellent, striking out 74 in 58 innings. It is still too early to compare his big league performance with Miller. Still, he’s performing up to the potential he had over Miller during his youth days.
It doesn’t matter if you didn’t feel the vacancy of Gore. However, San Diego’s starting rotation has been greatly shaken this season. He is ranked 14th overall with a starting ERA of 4.40. The starting lineup was built around proven veterans such as Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove, such as signing an extension contract with Darvish Yu (6 years, $108 million), but it is faltering. Pitchers in their 30s are the main players, so the future is uncertain, but future resources are also lacking. Among the top 100 prospects, only one San Diego pitcher is Dylan Lesco, a first-year high school graduate.
Of course, Soto, who has an OPS (on-base percentage and slugging percentage) of 0.928 and 10 homers, is the pillar of the team. If it weren’t for Soto while other players were sluggish, San Diego would have collapsed even more. However, Soto’s contract with San Diego is until next year.
San Diego, which decided to focus on Soto and the present instead of Gore and the future, is still 4th in the National League West with 24 wins and 29 losses. The Dodgers, who decided to share the future with Miller instead of Soto, are 33-22, 1st in the National League West and 1st overall in the National League.