Shohei Ohtani drew all the attention on Tuesday, which was to be expected, but Bobby Miller also made his first start of 2024 Spring Training for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Miller didn’t get off to the best outing, giving up back-to-back doubles that allowed the Chicago White Sox to take a 1-0 lead. But from there he turned it around, retiring the next five batter faced.
Miller finished his outing with two innings pitched, giving up two hits and one run while striking out one and walking no one.
“I thought Bobby was good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after his team’s comeback win. “I think there were some good sliders in there and then that second inning he relied more on the changeup. Got some swing and miss, soft contact, some pop-ups.
“I thought Bobby threw the ball well.”
The Dodgers are counting on Miller to take another step forward in his development this year after a strong rookie season in which he was forced into a starting role earlier than expected.
The 24-year-old made just four starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City before receiving a call-up in late May for his MLB debut. That all came after Miller did not pitch in Spring Training last year.
Miller made history over his first four starts with the Dodgers, logging a 0.78 ERA and using Major League stuff to power his way through big league lineups while cementing his spot in the rotation.
Despite the rushed development, Miller finished the season 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA, 3.51 FIP and 1.10 WHIP over 22 starts. He then took the mound in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, but struggled to the tune of allowing three runs over just 1.2 innings pitched.
Miller no longer needs to prove himself to earn a spot on the Dodgers roster, so he’s able to use this spring to prepare himself and improve, rather than trying to give it his all and impress.
That may lead to some uneven results overall in the Cactus League, but it shouldn’t be any cause for concern.
After claiming his place on the roster, Miller also took advantage of his new status by changing his number from 70 to 28 this offseason.
Bobby Miller received pre-arbitration bonus
As part of the 2022-2026 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA), a pre-arbitration bonus pool was established for players who do not achieve Super Two status and have fewer than three years of Major League service time.
Of the $50 million in bonuses, $8.75 million is allocated to award placements and the remaining $41.25 million gets split among eligible players who finish within the top 100 in Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
A total of 101 players received bonuses this year, which are accrued through the “Joint WAR” metric and placement in end-of-the-year awards voting.
Bobby Miller and James Outman were the only Dodgers players who earned bonuses through the pre-arbitration pool program.
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