Jacob Miller

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #12 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Miller was named the Ohio Baseball Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 after a sparkling senior season when he posted a 0.35 ERA with an incredible strikeout-to-walk ratio of 94-to-6 across 40 innings. The Marlins then drafted him with the 46th overall pick and signed him to a slightly over-slot deal of $1,700,400. In his first full pro season with Low-A Jupiter, Miller posted a 4.70 ERA in 14 starts and 59.1 innings and struck out 50 batters.
  
  Scouting Report: Miller stands at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with some physicality in his lower half. There is a bit of effort in his delivery and he has an abbreviated arm stroke while attacking from a high three-quarters slot. His fastball sits 91-94 with some carrying life through the zone, though opposing batters hit .344 against it in 2023. Miller features two distinct breaking balls with a high-70s curveball and mid-80s slider. His curveball takes on a big shape and has some downward teeth, but his slider is the more effective pitch. In 2023 it generated a 42% miss rate and flashed tight, two-plane break. Miller throws a high-80s changeup sparingly, but it does show some promise with late tumbling life.
  
  The Future: Miller should spend most of the 2024 season with High-A Beloit. He has no. 3 or 4 starter upside with continued progression.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #13 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Miller first started to gain helium during the 2021 showcase circuit, when his fastball jumped into the low-90s with hints of 94-95 mph. The upward trend continued during his draft year, when topped out at 97 mph with his fastball. The growing fastball, combined with an excellent ability to spin the ball--his breaking pitches spun between 2,300-2,400 rpm as an amateur--pushed him up draft boards and convinced the Marlins to select him in the second round. He received a signing bonus of $1,697,900 to pry him from his commitment to Louisville.
  
  Scouting Report: Miller's newfound fastball velocity showed up in his four minor league starts as well. He topped at 95 mph in his lone turn in the Florida State League, where he made his final start of the year. He pairs his fastball with a slider and a curveball, with the latter grading a tick better than the former. As an amateur, both pitches tended to blend with one another. Professional coaches will work to separate them into two distinct pitches. Miller's fourth pitch is a changeup in the mid-80s, and the Marlins are impressed with how much feel he's shown for it despite its seldom use in high school. Miller is not particularly projectable, but he's already shown the ability to repeat his delivery and pound the zone with plenty of strikes. There are some delivery kinks to iron out--specifically a stabbing arm action and a tendency to spin out of his delivery--that could affect his command and consistency. Those will be addressed as he moves up the ladder.
  
  The Future: Miller made his final start of the season at Low-A Jupiter. He is likely to return there to begin 2022 and has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter if everything clicks.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #39 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Liberty Union HS, Baltimore, Ohio Committed/Drafted: Louisville
  Age At Draft: 18.9
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Cutter: | Control: 50
  A shorter, 6-foot, 172-pound righthander, Miller has shown impressive feel to spin the baseball for years and his fastball velocity has steadily trended in the right direction. In the fall of 2020, Miller was sitting in the 89-93 mph range, then during the showcase circuit in 2021, pitched in the low 90s and ran the pitch up to 94-95 mph at peak. This spring, Miller has continued to find more velocity and has been up to 96-97 mph. He throws two breaking balls, both of which have drawn plus grades and show impressive spin rates in the 2,300-2,400 rpm range. The first is a curveball in the 76-80 mph range that features sharp bite and tight spin with depth and power. The second is a slider in the low 80s that also has hard spin and break. While the pitches can blend at times, they show distinct enough separation for the most part, and regardless of the pitch classification are potential plus offerings. Miller has shown some feel for a mid-80s changeup, but it is currently a distinct fourth pitch used infrequently. Miller doesn’t have a ton of physical projection, but he is a polished strike thrower with a deliberate delivery he repeats well. There’s some stabbing action in the back of his arm stroke and a spinoff in his finish, but he shows the ability to spot up and change speeds well. He’s committed to Louisville but checks plenty of boxes and could be a top-two round pick.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Miller first started to gain helium during the 2021 showcase circuit, when his fastball jumped into the low-90s with hints of 94-95 mph. The upward trend continued during his draft year, when topped out at 97 mph with his fastball. The growing fastball, combined with an excellent ability to spin the ball--his breaking pitches spun between 2,300-2,400 rpm as an amateur--pushed him up draft boards and convinced the Marlins to select him in the second round. He received a signing bonus of $1,697,900 to pry him from his commitment to Louisville.
  
  Scouting Report: Miller's newfound fastball velocity showed up in his four minor league starts as well. He topped at 95 mph in his lone turn in the Florida State League, where he made his final start of the year. He pairs his fastball with a slider and a curveball, with the latter grading a tick better than the former. As an amateur, both pitches tended to blend with one another. Professional coaches will work to separate them into two distinct pitches. Miller's fourth pitch is a changeup in the mid-80s, and the Marlins are impressed with how much feel he's shown for it despite its seldom use in high school. Miller is not particularly projectable, but he's already shown the ability to repeat his delivery and pound the zone with plenty of strikes. There are some delivery kinks to iron out--specifically a stabbing arm action and a tendency to spin out of his delivery--that could affect his command and consistency. Those will be addressed as he moves up the ladder.
  
  The Future: Miller made his final start of the season at Low-A Jupiter. He is likely to return there to begin 2022 and has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter if everything clicks.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Miller first started to gain helium during the 2021 showcase circuit, when his fastball jumped into the low-90s with hints of 94-95 mph. The upward trend continued during his draft year, when topped out at 97 mph with his fastball. The growing fastball, combined with an excellent ability to spin the ball--his breaking pitches spun between 2,300-2,400 rpm as an amateur--pushed him up draft boards and convinced the Marlins to select him in the second round. He received a signing bonus of $1,697,900 to pry him from his commitment to Louisville.
  
  Scouting Report: Miller's newfound fastball velocity showed up in his four minor league starts as well. He topped at 95 mph in his lone turn in the Florida State League, where he made his final start of the year. He pairs his fastball with a slider and a curveball, with the latter grading a tick better than the former. As an amateur, both pitches tended to blend with one another. Professional coaches will work to separate them into two distinct pitches. Miller's fourth pitch is a changeup in the mid-80s, and the Marlins are impressed with how much feel he's shown for it despite its seldom use in high school. Miller is not particularly projectable, but he's already shown the ability to repeat his delivery and pound the zone with plenty of strikes. There are some delivery kinks to iron out--specifically a stabbing arm action and a tendency to spin out of his delivery--that could affect his command and consistency. Those will be addressed as he moves up the ladder.
  
  The Future: Miller made his final start of the season at Low-A Jupiter. He is likely to return there to begin 2022 and has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter if everything clicks.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  August Update: A 6-foot righthander, Miller has shown impressive feel to spin the baseball for years and his fastball velocity has steadily trended in the right direction. In the fall of 2020, Miller was sitting in the 89-93 mph range, then during the showcase circuit in 2021, pitched in the low 90s and ran the pitch up to 94-95 mph at peak. This spring, Miller has continued to find more velocity and has been up to 96-97 mph. He throws two breaking balls, both of which have drawn plus grades and show impressive spin rates in the 2,300-2,400 rpm range. The first is a curveball in the 76-80 mph range that features sharp bite and tight spin with depth and power. The second is a slider in the low 80s that also has hard spin and break. While the pitches can blend at times, they show distinct enough separation for the most part, and regardless of the pitch classification are potential plus offerings. Miller has shown some feel for a mid-80s changeup, but it is currently a distinct fourth pitch used infrequently. Miller doesn&#39t have a ton of physical projection, but he is a polished strike thrower with a deliberate delivery he repeats well. There&#39s some stabbing action in the back of his arm stroke and a spinoff in his finish, but he shows the ability to spot up and change speeds well.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Control: 50.