Andrew Miller - Strikeout Machine

Andrew Miller has been the silver lining in a bullpen that has had its ups and downs this season, but that hasn't always been the case. According to the Boston Herald, when the Detroit Tigers picked him sixth overall, they were hoping they found the next Randy Johnson. And the comparisons weren't completley baseless - he is 6'7", threw 98 miles an hour and had a wicked slider to go with it. But the one thing he didn't have was control, according to the Herald, and with that came a lack of confidence and a 5.70 ERA in 66 starts. That's when the Sox made him a reliever and he started posting statistics that the Big Unit would have been proud of. According to the Herald, Miller has 15.0 strikeouts per 9 innings, which is 2nd only to Reds closer Aroldis Chapman, who has 15.6 Ks/9 innings. Using the same criteria, it is also currently the highest rate in Sox history, even Pedro Martinez in 1999, according to the Herald. It's different circumstances, of course. It's impossible to compare a reliever to a starter, since a reliever will never strikeout 300+ in a season, but Miller is still no pushover and he's been anchoring our bullpen all season.

I'm hoping he doesn't get injured, because quite frankly we need him anchoring the pen. Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara are beginning to wear down and Bailey has had an up and down season, to say the least. We need that one guy who can come in and pitch lights out, and Miller is that guy. Not to take anything from anyone else, but our pitching staff, bullpen included, is stretched thin and Miller has been the silver lining. We're still going to need to bolster our pen before the trade deadline, though. Miller is still only human.

Twitter - @ConorJF1016
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer