Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Hope to 'Unlock' the Old Shelby Miller This Spring

Miller, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on Sunday, accepting an invite to Major League spring training.

Max Goodman

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TAMPA — It's been a tale of two careers for Shelby Miller.

From nearly winning Rookie of the Year in 2013 as a member of the Cardinals to making his first All-Star Game with the Braves two seasons later, Miller was rolling.

Then, all of a sudden, his numbers went from promising to putrid. 

After he was traded from the Braves to the Diamondbacks in December of 2015, a deal that also included shortstop Dansby Swanson, Miller hasn't been able to recapture his form on a big-league mound.

In the five seasons since then—Miller didn't play during the COVID-shortened campaign in 2020—the former first-round pick has posted a 7.04 ERA with a 6-22 record in 61 games (195.2 innings).

Ghastly numbers aside, the Yankees decided to take a chance on the 31-year-old right-hander, bringing him in on a minor league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training on Sunday. 

Following New York's 7-4 Grapefruit League victory over the Pirates at George M. Steinbrenner Field, manager Aaron Boone was asked about Miller and what he can bring to this club going forward.

The skipper said that he wants to find a way to bring out the old Miller this spring.

"He's a guy that's had success in the league," Boone said. "Hopefully we can unlock things that provide us with some upside and that potentially he's had all along."

Boone added that while he remembers watching Miller shine in St. Louis as a starter in his heyday, it's too early to tell if New York will use him in a similar role. Miller hasn't started an MLB game since 2019, working exclusively as a reliever over the last few seasons.

Miller has an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to make New York's big-league roster. His numbers are an eyesore, this pitching staff is deep (so he'll have plenty competition), he's not on the 40-man roster and with less than two weeks to go until Opening Day, his late arrival to camp is working against him as well.

If this organization can find a way to filter Miller's past success out of his recent production, however, there's an above-zero chance he can help this team at some point in 2022. Sure, it's a long shot, but he wouldn't be the first hurler to put together a resurgence in pinstripes. 

"I saw him before the game in street clothes when he was finishing up his physical," Boone said. "He looks great, so we'll kind of see what we have."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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