Bobby Miller

Robert Anthony Miller

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 220 lb.
• School University of Louisville
• High School McHenry West High School
• Debut May 23, 2023

• Born April 5, 1999 in Elk Grove Village, IL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Bobby Miller was the 29th player selected in the 1st round of the 2020 amateur draft, by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of the University of Louisville, the last pick of the first round proper. He had gone 6-1, 2.97 as a freshman and 7-1, 3.83 as a sophomore, pitching in the 2019 College World Series, before the COVID-19 pandemic had cut short his junior season after just 4 starts in 2020. He had earlier been selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 38th round of the 2017 amateur draft, but had opted to go to college instead of signing with them.

He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Great Lakes Loons of the High-A Central (part of a combined no-hitter one game), and also got to pitch 3 games with the Tulsa Drillers of the Double-A Central, combining to go 2-2, 2.40 in 17 games as the Dodgers were careful with his workload, limiting him to 56 1/3 innings. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League after the season. In 2022, he was given a longer leash with Tulsa, in the renamed Texas League and was selected to start the 2022 Futures Game, which was played at Dodger Stadium on July 16th. He walked the first batter he faced, Gunnar Henderson, and sent him to third base on a wild pitch before giving up a run-scoring single to Dustin Harris, but he also recorded three strikeouts in his inning of work, with Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe and Matt Wallner going down on strikes. With Tulsa and the Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Pacific Coast League, he was a combined 7-7, 4.25 in 24 games (23 starts) with a very impressive 145 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings, thanks to a fastball that often reached triple digits. However, he was not a one-trick pony, as his outstanding fastball was part of a five-pitch mix that also included a slider, a curveball, a sinker and a change-up.

He started the 2023 season in AAA with Oklahoma City after missing a month at the start of the year. He was 1-1, 5.65 in 4 starts when he was called up to Los Angeles on May 23rd to make his debut, after Dustin May was placed on the 60-day injured list, clearing a spot for him on the 40-man roster. Starting against the Atlanta Braves on the road, he was very impressive, allowing 1 run on 4 hits in 5 innings and striking out 5 to earn credit for an 8-1 win. He continued to pitch well after that excellent first start, and after four starts was at 3-0, 0.78, having allowed just 2 runs on 12 hits in his first 23 innings, while striking out 23 batters, a dominant run the likes of which had never been seen. He cooled down a bot after that but still finished the year with an excellent mark of 11-4, 3.76 in 22 starts with 105 hits allowed in 124 1/3 innings, 119 strikeouts and just 32 walks. As a result, his WHIP was an excellent 1.102. He started Game 2 of the Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on October 9th, but was roughed up, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in 1 2/3 innings. He was charged with L.A.'s 4-2 loss.

Miller was excellent in his first start of 2024, blanking the St. Louis Cardinals on 2 hits in 6 innings on March 29th, while striking out 11 in a 6-3 win, but it was all downhill after that. He gave up 5 runs in less that 2 innings against the Chicago Cubs on April 5th, then after just one mor start went on the injured list on April 13th with inflammation in his right shoulder. He missed two months of action, then was roughed up 4 starts in late June and early July, giving up 19 runs in 17 1/3 innings. He was sent down to AAA Oklahoma City on July 10th and did not come back until August 17th. He made another 6 starts in late August and September, but was not convincing as he gave up 27 earned runs in 28 innings while winning just once. For the season, his record stood at 2-4, 8.52 in 13 starts, covering just 56 innings. Not surprisingly, he was left off the Dodgers' postseason roster, the team preferring to use some very raw youngsters like Ben Casparius or Edgardo Henriquez instead of him. He still won a ring when the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, but the whole experience was bittersweet.

If Bobby wanted to put his struggles in 2024 quickly behind him, things did not start out well in 2025 as on the first day of spring training games on February 20th, he was struck in the head by a ball off the bat of Michael Busch of the Cubs. He was immediately removed from the game and placed in the concussion protocol but managed to escape serious injury.

Notable Achievements

• Won one World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 (he did not play in the World Series)

Further Reading

• Jim Callis: "What to expect from Bobby Miller", mlb.com, May 22, 2023. [1]
• Paul Casella: "No pitcher has ever started a career quite like this: Miller improves to 3-0 with 0.78 ERA after dealing six scoreless innings", mlb.com, June 10, 2023.
• Sonja Chen: "Miller struck on head, in concussion protocol", mlb.com, February 20, 2025. [2]
• Jack Harris (Los Angeles Times): "'Really impressive.' Top Dodgers pitching prospect Bobby Miller shines in victorious debut", Yahoo! Sports, May 24, 2023. [3]
• Cole Jacobson: "Three young flamethrowers named Miller share more than a last name", mlb.com, July 8, 2024. [4]
• Jack Magruder: "Miller feeling fearless after escaping liner without serious injury", mlb.com, February 22, 2025. [5]
• Brent Maguire: "The young Dodgers starter who is comparable to deGrom, Cole", mlb.com, August 22, 2023. [6]
• Juan Toribio: "Miller mutes Braves' big bats in stellar MLB debut", mlb.com, May 23, 2023. [7]

Related Sites

• Bobby Miller on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• University of Louisville bio