James Matthew Miller (born April 28, 1982) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. 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 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
,
Colorado Rockies,
Oakland Athletics, and
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
.
Amateur career
Miller attended
North Fort Myers High School
North Fort Myers High School (commonly called "North" or "North High") is an American 9-12 high school located in North Fort Myers, Florida. It is the official center for the arts and media for the West Zone in Lee County, Florida, Lee County's Sch ...
in
North Fort Myers, Florida
North Fort Myers is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 42,719 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ge ...
. He attended Mars Hill University located in North Carolina. He then transferred and attended the
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System.
History
ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Cen ...
, where he played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
for the
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks baseball
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks baseball (formerly the Northeast Louisiana Indians) team represents the University of Louisiana at Monroe in NCAA Division I college baseball. The Warhawks baseball team competes in the Sun Belt Conference. The War ...
team.
Professional career
Colorado Rockies
Miller was drafted in the eighth round (230th overall) of the
2004 MLB draft by the
Colorado Rockies. During his time with the Rockies organization, he was a three-time minor league all-star.
Baltimore Orioles
On January 12, 2007, Miller 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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
alongside minor league pitcher Jason Burch in exchange for
Rodrigo López. He was called up on September 1, 2008, to the Orioles, and made his major league debut against the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
on the same day, allowing one unearned run and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Later that month, Miller pitched in the second to last game at the
original Yankee Stadium, going down in history as the last pitcher to hit a batter at that stadium when he hit
Derek Jeter in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Return to the Colorado Rockies
On January 15, 2011, Miller returned to the Rockies on a minor league contract. He made his Rockies debut that year on September 7 against the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
.
Oakland Athletics
In November 2011, Miller signed a minor league contract with the
Oakland Athletics. He made his Athletics debut on April 25, 2012, against the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
, and was the winning pitcher in that game.
New York Yankees
Miller was claimed off waivers by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
on November 30, 2012. After spending the year in Triple-A, his contract was selected from the Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...
. On September 7, 2013, he gave up the first career home run to
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
shortstop
Xander Bogaerts
Xander Jan Bogaerts (born October 1, 1992; ), nicknamed "the X-Man" and "Bogey" or "Bogie", is an Aruban professional baseball shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Re ...
. He was designated for assignment on September 11. He was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton on September 16, 2013.
His contract was selected from Scranton on July 1, 2014, and he was designated for assignment on July 11.
Tampa Bay Rays
On March 4, 2015, Miller signed with the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...
on a minor league contract.
Milwaukee Brewers
On November 19, 2015, Miller signed a minor league contract with the
Milwaukee Brewers. The deal included an invite to spring training. He was released on May 24, 2016.
Minnesota Twins
Miller was with the
Minnesota Twins for spring training in 2017, but was released in March.
Pitching style
Miller is mainly a
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...
-
slider
Slider or Sliders may refer to:
Arts
* K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise
* '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex
* ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series
* ...
pitcher. His four-seamer sits between 92 and 95 mph, while his slider is throw in the low-mid 80s. Less commonly, he throws a
curveball in the low 70s and a
cut fastball
In baseball, a cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks toward the pitcher's glove-hand side, as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a four-seam fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slide ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Jim
1982 births
Living people
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from New Jersey
Bowie Baysox players
Colorado Rockies players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Durham Bulls players
Grand Canyon Rafters players
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks baseball players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mars Hill Lions baseball players
Modesto Nuts players
Naranjeros de Hermosillo players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
New York Yankees players
Norfolk Tides players
Oakland Athletics players
Sportspeople from Morristown, New Jersey
Peoria Javelinas players
Sacramento River Cats players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Tri-City Dust Devils players
Tulsa Drillers players
Somerset Patriots players