Andrew Miller, who was one of the faces of the MLBPA during the Major League Baseball lockout, is calling it a career.
Miller’s retirement was first reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday.
“Andrew Miller, a postseason MVP and 6-foot-7 lefty with a wicked slider who showed how the best reliever didn’t have to wait until the ninth to save a game, is retiring after a 16-year career, he told the Post-Dispatch,” Goold reported.
Miller broke into the big leagues in 2006 with the Detroit Tigers. Through the early portion of his career, Miller was largely a starter. Of his 96 appearances from 2006-2011, 66 were starts. In that window, he also struggled a lot, posting a 5.79 ERA and 1.751 WHIP while surrendering 10.4 hits and 5.4 walks per nine innings with a K/9 rate of only 7.2.
In 2012, Miller became a full-time relief pitcher and from there, his career took off. From 2012 on, he had a 2.68 ERA, 1.035 WHIP, allowed only 6.1 hits and 3.2 walks per nine innings, and had an elite K/9 rate of 13.2.
As a member of the then Cleveland Indians (now Cleveland Guardians), Miller appeared in four games in the 2016 ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays. In that series, he pitched 7.2 innings, saved one game, had a 0.00 ERA, a 0.391 WHIP, allowed only three hits, issued no walks, and struck out 14 hitters. Despite hitting only .168 in the series and scoring no more than four runs in any game, Cleveland won in five games. Miller was named series MVP.
Miller would return to the postseason in 2017 and 2018 with Cleveland, as well as in 2019 and 2020 with the St. Louis Cardinals. But his teams never again reached the World Series.
His time in Cleveland brought about one big change. Before Miller, a team would almost always use its best relief pitcher as a closer and would not bring him in until the ninth inning. In much the same way that a track or swimming relay team will often have its best athlete go last.
While that theoretically makes sense, there’s one problem with that theory. The game’s biggest outs may not come in the ninth inning. The opposition’s best hitters may be coming up with runners on base in the sixth, seventh or eighth innings. While Miller did record 63 saves in his career, he was frequently used earlier in games. That changed how relievers are used and also changed how well non-closers are paid.
He made a big impact on the game. And many in the baseball world shared fond memories of Miller when his retirement was announced.
2016 Andrew Miller was a really special thing to watch. Not that many players make you that aware the game is changing right before your eyes.
— Michael Baumann (@MichaelBaumann) March 24, 2022
Andrew Miller spent the offseason working long hours on a CBA he won’t play under. What a final act in an already exemplary career. https://t.co/dI3qRdZEhb
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) March 24, 2022
I once asked a pitcher if he thought a reliever as dominant as Andrew Miller deserved Cy Young consideration. He scoffed and said relievers just don't throw enough innings to really compete with starters for that award.
The pitcher was Andrew Miller. https://t.co/AhETMH0kEf
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) March 24, 2022
Andrew Miller is retiring. Happy trails, old friend! https://t.co/2fItRukJhk pic.twitter.com/EezKZsduxM
— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) March 24, 2022
Andrew MIller's career:
16 seasons
612 games
Two All-Star appearances
Twice named on Cy Young Award ballots
Average 10.6 Ks per 9 IP
MVP of the 2016 ALCS
Struck out 21 of the 41 batters he faced in first 2 rounds of '16 postseason
Carried a reputation for being a great teammate.— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 24, 2022
A lot of things changed with Andrew Miller. Congrats on a great career. https://t.co/qK6r3Z6jMe
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) March 24, 2022
