Bradley Austin Miller (born October 18, 1989) is an infielder and outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers (MLB). He formerly played for the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals in the Major League Baseball.
Miller grew up in Windermere, Florida, playing Little League baseball before going to Olympia High School and playing shortstop for the team.
Miller opted to play college baseball with the Clemson Tigers despite being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 2008 MLB Draft. He received the Brooks Wallace Award for finest shortstop in collegiate baseball as a junior in 2011.
How Did the Phillies Get Brad Miller?
On April 22, 2019, the New York Yankees signed Miller to a minor league contract. New York had 13 players on the disabled list at the time, including four infielders. In 136 at-bats with the International League’s Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, he batted.294 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs in 41 games.
The Yankees traded Miller to the Philadelphia Phillies for monetary considerations on June 13th. After Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, he took over Jay Bruce’s job as the Phillies’ utility player.
Bruce had become the Phillies’ regular left fielder after Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury.
In his initial appearances, Miller went 6-for-16 with two home runs and four walks, proving to be a much-needed left-handed batter for the Phillies’ ailing offense.
Miller’s two home runs in the last game of the season made him the only player in team history to hit three multi-home run games in a nine-game period, despite the Phillies’ poor 81–81 record.
Miller batted.263 with the Phillies this season, with 12 home runs and 21 RBIs in 118 at-bats while playing a number of positions, including third base, shortstop, and outfield.
Miller’s Second Stint With The Philis
On February 17, 2021, Miller signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract to return to the Phillies.
On May 25, 2021, against Shawn Morimando of the Miami Marlins, Miller hit his 100th career home run. Miller hit three home runs and drove in five runs in the Phillies’ 8–0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on July 8, while starting at first base and hitting second.
It was Miller’s first three-homer game of his career and the first by a Phillie since Jayson Werth in 2008.
Miller’s walk-off grand slam against the Washington Nationals on July 29 capped a Phillies comeback, bringing the final score to 11–8.
It was the first time since 2010 that Philadelphia has come back to win after opening a game with a seven-run disadvantage. Miller batted.227 with the Phillies in 140 games and 331 at-bats this season, with 20 home runs and 49 RBIs. At the end of the season, he became a free agent.