Jacob Matthew Miller (born November 23, 1971) is a former right-handed

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who played for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. He was noted for his distinct sidearm delivery.

Independent and Minor League career

Miller began his professional baseball career playing for the Greenville Bluesmen in the independent Big South League (–) and Texas–Louisiana League (). He signed with the Texas Rangers in December 1997, was released at the end of

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 1998 and then re-signed with the Rangers in June. He played in their

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

system for the Savannah Sand Gnats (1998), Charlotte Rangers (), Tulsa Drillers (1999–) and

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(2000). In November 2000, he was signed as a minor league

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by the

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and played for their triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

affiliate,

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

, in . He was signed by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

after the 2001 season and played for their triple-A affiliate,

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, in .

Major League career

He signed with the Colorado Rockies during the off-season and spent most of at Triple-A with the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

, but finally made his major league debut with the Rockies June 27 against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. He appeared in only four games for Colorado that season and was again granted free agency in November. The Cleveland Indians became Miller's fifth major league organization in five years when they signed him in February . He became an integral part of the Indians'

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, appearing in 57 games and posting a 4-1 record, 3.09 ERA, 55

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s, 23 walks and one save. He continued his success in before a strained elbow tendon in his throwing arm landed him on the

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in mid-July. He made two rehabilitation appearances in August, but was shut down for the season when the soreness in his elbow recurred. He appeared in 23 games for Cleveland in 2005 and was 1-0 with one save and a 1.82 ERA. He made the Indians

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roster in and appeared in six games in April. But when his elbow symptoms returned during a game on April 19, he was again placed on the disabled list and the following week underwent surgery to repair the flexor tendon in the elbow. He returned in September and was effective in eight appearances. For the season, he was 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA in just 15 innings. In , Miller began the season on the disabled list with a right forearm strain. When he returned May 9, he was optioned to Buffalo and made 14 appearances for the Bisons before he was recalled to Cleveland June 10, when Jeremy Sowers was sent down to Buffalo. He made only two appearances for the Indians and was returned to Buffalo to make room on the roster for Jason Stanford who was inserted into the

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in place of the ineffective Sowers. After the 2007 season, Miller signed with the

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, but did not appear in a game for their organization before being traded to the

. On July 29, , Miller announced his retirement, after posting a 4-7 record with a 5.82 ERA for Triple-A

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References

External links

, o
MLB.com
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Baseball Reference (Independent, Minor & Winter leagues)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Matt 1971 births Living people Akron Aeros players Baseball players from Mississippi Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Charlotte Rangers players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Delta State Statesmen baseball players Greenville Bluesmen players Gulf Coast Rangers players Indianapolis Indians players Lobos de Arecibo players Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks baseball players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball pitchers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Oklahoma RedHawks players Sportspeople from Greenwood, Mississippi Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players Savannah Sand Gnats players Tulsa Drillers players University of Louisiana at Monroe alumni Mississippi Delta Trojans baseball players