NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For one day, Andrew Miller was truly in baseball limbo.

As he pulled into the Tigers' Spring Training complex in Lakeland, Fla., on Wednesday morning to begin his usual offseason workout routine, his situation was clearly unusual. If the looks from other players didn't tell it, the questions did.

 

Andrew Miller was going to work, but he didn't really know for whom he was working. He had heard rumors about the deal the night before, and he waited for something official. But because the teams were still going over injury reports and the deal wasn't official, the Tigers couldn't contact him.

 

"I was kind of guessing," Miller said. "Is it real, or is it just speculation? How valuable is this information that people are using. But then kind of by the end of the night, it sounded like the deal had been finished. It's just one of those things where I kind of had to wait and see. There was nothing I could do about it."

 

Neither could Mike Rabelo down the highway in Tampa, or Cameron Maybin at home in North Carolina, or the three other prospects mentioned in the deal. Miller's agents couldn't do much, either. All they were told on Tuesday night from team officials was that nothing was official yet.

 

"I went and worked out in the morning," Miller said. "I didn't have any calls. Nothing was official. The last thing I want to do is not show up because of speculation. I have a job to do. Just kind of working."

 

He was long since gone when he realized he was gone for good, traded along with five other players by the Tigers to the Florida Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis deal. It was the type of thing he had seen other players go through in his short time in the big leagues, but he couldn't have figured it would happen to him.

 

He was the prized pitching prospect, the first-round pick in which the Tigers had invested a Major League contract. But he also knew it was a business.

 

"It seems kind of a weird situation when people get traded," Miller said by phone Thursday evening from his home in Gainesville, Fla. "Guys were traded from the Tigers when I was there. The way guys reacted around me, it was kind of a congratulations, kind of like I'm not going to see you around anymore, just kind of weird. New opportunities."

 

That's the way Miller is looking at this deal. He has no hard feelings about how everything happened, he said. He's simply looking forward to a new opportunity, one that's almost the complete opposite of what he faced in Detroit.

 

With the Tigers, Miller was on the outside looking in. Though the team had its fifth spot open for a Spring Training competition with Miller and others, it was far from a guarantee that he would win it. If anything, the sentiment in Tigers circles was that he needed more seasoning, that a few more starts in the Minors wouldn't hurt to begin the season. Miller accepted it, but he was going to battle.

 

He still has a battle on his hands, but his odds look a lot better now. Not only could Miller make Florida's rotation, he could conceivably be in the middle of it. With Willis and Cabrera gone, Miller is currently the team's highest-paid player.

 

 

 

"In Detroit, obviously, I would've been in the fight of my life to try to pitch on the big league club next year," Miller said. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it appears the Marlins might have a spot for me a little sooner.

 

"It's a great opportunity for me. You never know what's going to happen. It's one of those situations where I've got to look at the positives."

 

That's how his mind works. He stayed relatively positive in August when the Tigers pulled him out of their rotation for the stretch run and sent him to the instructional league to work on his mechanics. He's just over a year out of college, and he was in the thick of the mix for a team that was fighting for a second consecutive playoff appearance.

 

Those playoff hopes are likely gone. But his time to stick in the big leagues might well be now. Given that, he has no hard feelings.

 

"The Tigers gave me plenty of opportunities," Miller said. "The chance for me to come and pitch for a playoff contending team my first year out of college is an amazing opportunity. I made two starts in Double-A before they gave me an opportunity to make a spot start in the big leagues. They treated me extremely well. They were always very easy to deal with. The Tigers did all that they could for me.

 

"It's not that the Tigers don't think anything of me. They got outstanding players for me and the others. The way for me to look at it is the Marlins think pretty highly for me and for us to be part of their futures to give up those two players."

 

And he'll do so relatively close to home. It's not next door, but the five-hour drive down Florida's Turnpike from Gainesville to Miami should allow his family to see more of his games. And with a full-time spot in the rotation possible, he'll have a chance to pitch on a regular schedule if he makes the club.

 

It's not a bad position to be in. He certainly isn't going to complain, and he's no longer nervous. But with Lakeland and Detroit no longer in his plans, he isn't going to look back.

 

"That's the only way I can think of it," he said. "I can't dwell on the negatives. Yeah, I met a lot of friends in the Detroit organization. The Tigers treated me really well. I loved playing for [manager Jim] Leyland and Chuck [Hernandez] and Lloyd [McClendon]. They treated me really well. But at the same time, if I think about that, my mind's not in the right place.

 

"I don't know exactly what's going to happen. It's just an opportunity to pitch at the top level right now."

Link

 

I cant wait to see him pitch next season.

I can't wait until next year... Spring Training here I come!

alot will depend on how spring training goes, but I don't see anyone who has a better shot at being the ace of that staff

alot will depend on how spring training goes, but I don't see anyone who has a better shot at being the ace of that staff

I was just listening to Beiny's interview on MLB.com and he was talking about Miller being on top of the rotation. I guess he has some high expectations for him. Maybe it will smack Olsen and get him in shape.

who else would freddy start on opening day? mitre? olsen? :banghead

gotta be maybin as long as his spring training goes smoothly

excited about seeing this guy pitch.

The first couple times around the league he should do very well. Once teams get to know him I want to see how he does. I rarely get excited over "rookie" pitchers, no matter how well they are doing. What I do like is that he is doing off season conditioning while not pitching in another league right now. I can only hope Dutchboy is doing the same thing to ready himself for a full season. And that Mitre is continuing with his progress as well. And I believe some of Scotty's head problems will be relieved with a defense behind him he can rely on.

 

But the guy I am really interested in watching will remain Trahern. I love a ground ball pitcher, a guy with a good sinker and other pitches to mix in. Hitters just don't seem to work out the kinks of guys like that and then have continual success against them. Put a good defense behind a guy like that and you have a 20 game winner in the making.

alot will depend on how spring training goes, but I don't see anyone who has a better shot at being the ace of that staff

I was just listening to Beiny's interview on MLB.com and he was talking about Miller being on top of the rotation. I guess he has some high expectations for him. Maybe it will smack Olsen and get him in shape.

 

Do you buy some kind of ST package, Holly? Reason I am asking... We paid for our season tickets in a lump sum. So we now get 2 free vouchers for every home ST game (Yankees not included). We go to the home opener (not the college game) and then maybe one or two more. Those 1:05 starts during the week really interfere with our work schedules. I'm not sure if they are free vouchers like we get for the regular season (we get 12 for each season ticket) that are for any game, or if they are labeled for the particular games. Not even sure what section they are for. But if you are interested let me know as I remember from last year you attend alot of the ST games at Roger Dean.

alot will depend on how spring training goes, but I don't see anyone who has a better shot at being the ace of that staff

I was just listening to Beiny's interview on MLB.com and he was talking about Miller being on top of the rotation. I guess he has some high expectations for him. Maybe it will smack Olsen and get him in shape.

 

Do you buy some kind of ST package, Holly? Reason I am asking... We paid for our season tickets in a lump sum. So we now get 2 free vouchers for every home ST game (Yankees not included). We go to the home opener (not the college game) and then maybe one or two more. Those 1:05 starts during the week really interfere with our work schedules. I'm not sure if they are free vouchers like we get for the regular season (we get 12 for each season ticket) that are for any game, or if they are labeled for the particular games. Not even sure what section they are for. But if you are interested let me know as I remember from last year you attend alot of the ST games at Roger Dean.

 

No not yet, my dad and I were talking about just buying individual tickets because I wont be able to go to many games (I am up in Tallahassee ) I will miss practices so that will break my heart big time. When we do get tickets we will probably just buy the cheap tickets and sit where we usually sit (bullpen). There is probably going to be nobody there. Thanks for asking me about the tickets... I will ask my dad what he wants to do. I will keep up posted.

Thanks .

so he is from Gainesville

 

 

must be a Gators fan :mischief

But the guy I am really interested in watching will remain Trahern. I love a ground ball pitcher, a guy with a good sinker and other pitches to mix in. Hitters just don't seem to work out the kinks of guys like that and then have continual success against them. Put a good defense behind a guy like that and you have a 20 game winner in the making.

Mitre would certainly not be an example of the above. He really was two different pitchers last yr.

The Next Big Unit ya'll. His stuff is filth.

This whole comparison to RJ has me going nuts. How fast is this guys fastball?

mid to upper 90's...Killer movement.

This whole comparison to RJ has me going nuts. How fast is this guys fastball?

 

I think i read somehwere about Miller's fastball getting up in the mid 90's... i think there's a clip of him on his profile bio thing where you can see in his start against the red sox where it reads 96 on the radar gun.

How pissed was Miller after the deal.

so he is from Gainesville

 

 

must be a Gators fan :mischief

 

I doubt it, since he went to the University of North Carolina

How pissed was Miller after the deal.

 

he's saying all the correct things to the press but behind closed doors you know he is pissed. He has no chance of a long-term deal for 5 more years, if he stays with the Marlins. I'm sure a fist or two hit a wall when he knew the deal was done.

so he is from Gainesville

 

 

must be a Gators fan :mischief

 

 

I like him already than

How pissed was Miller after the deal.

he's a Marlins fan

 

and in all seriousness, why should he be pissed? He'll play here for 3-4 years with absolutely no pressure, put up good numbers and go get a ridiculous contract when he is done.

it's a great opportunity for him regardless... the only thing I imagine he's upset about is from going to a contending team with a future to a team that might win 70 games with an uncertain future.

There are more positives though- like ramp said, the no-pressure factor and should he peform well, then he's got that contract waiting from the yanks or the sox or who knows. Plus he'll be pitching in a largely tilted pitcher's ballpark and it will depend on how well he takes advantage of that.

so he is from Gainesville

 

 

must be a Gators fan :mischief

 

I doubt it, since he went to the University of North Carolina

 

 

I'm sure he's been to the Swamp quite a bit.

 

He's a Gators fan at heart. :thumbup

just based off projections, scouts, etc, wouldn't Miller basically rate as the pitcher with the highest ceiling right now in our entire organization?

He's so electric on the mound... His stuff is practically identical to the Unit.

just based off projections, scouts, etc, would he basically rate as the pitcher with the highest ceiling right now in our entire organization?

 

 

By a long shot. He was a top 10 prospect in all of baseball I believe

 

none of our prospects (yes out of all our pitching prospects) rank that high. Which is shamful, given we draft so many pitchers and none of them are standing out in the minors right now.