Randall Jai Miller (born January 17, 1985) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for three seasons with the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
,
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
, and
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
. He played for the
University of Alabama Crimson Tide as a
walk-on defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
on their
football team
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
.
Baseball career
Florida Marlins
Miller was drafted out of high school by the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The franc ...
in the 4th round (113th overall) of the
2003 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional career debut that year for the Single-A
Jamestown Jammers
The Jamestown Jammers were a minor league baseball team based in Jamestown, New York from 1994 until 2014. The team was the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and played in the New York–Penn League. The team playe ...
, playing in 11 games and batting .233 with no
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
.
In 2004, Miller played for the Single-A
Greensboro Bats
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
. In 113 games, he batted .205 with 12 home runs. He basically put up the same stats in 2005, playing for the Single-A
Greensboro Grasshoppers
The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National ...
(the team changed their name after the 2004 season). In 115 games, he batted .207 with 13 home runs.
Miller played for the Single-A
Jupiter Hammerheads
The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter, Florida, Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home game ...
in 2006. He batted .208 but his home run production dropped, producing no home runs for the Hammerheads in 2006.
In 2007, he moved up a level, playing for the Double-A
Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...
. For the Mudcats, he set career highs in batting average (.261), home runs (14), RBI's (58), games played (129), hits (106) and doubles (26).
Miller made his big league debut with Florida in 2008 and went 0-for-1 in just one ballgame.
On November 20, 2009, the Marlins purchased his contract, protecting him from the
Rule 5 draft. He was later designated for assignment on April 3, 2010.
Oakland Athletics
The
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
claimed him on waivers April 8, 2010 and optioned him to the Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
. Fourteen days later he was designated for assignment.
Kansas City Royals
And on April 26, 2010, he was acquired off waivers by the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
.
As a Royal in 2010 he got his first major league hit, a single, against the Detroit Tigers. Total, Miller played 20 games with the Royals, hitting 1 HR, 4 RBIs and a .236 Avg.
Oakland Athletics
On December 17, 2010 The Oakland Athletics once again signed Miller, this time as a free agent. He spent nearly the entire 2011 season with Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
, batting .276 with 32 homers and 88 RBIs in 110 games.
On September 11, 2011 Miller was called up to join the Oakland Athletics. He played in 7 games, hitting 1 HR, 2 RBIs and a .250 Avg.
On December 23, Miller was designated for assignment to make room for the prospects acquired in the
Gio González
Giovany Aramis González (born September 19, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox. A two-ti ...
trade.
Baltimore Orioles
He was traded to the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
on January 3. On October 6, 2012 Miller elected free agency.
Return to college
On January 7, 2013, Miller announced his intention to play football with the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
.
References
External links
Rotoworld profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Jai
1985 births
Living people
Florida Marlins players
Kansas City Royals players
Oakland Athletics players
Baseball players from Alabama
African-American baseball players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Gulf Coast Marlins players
Jamestown Jammers players
Greensboro Bats players
Greensboro Grasshoppers players
Jupiter Hammerheads players
Carolina Mudcats players
Albuquerque Isotopes players
New Orleans Zephyrs players
Sacramento River Cats players
Omaha Royals players
Norfolk Tides players
Bowie Baysox players
Alabama Crimson Tide football players
American football defensive backs
Sportspeople from Auburn, Alabama
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people