the unmaking of a pitching prospect

Greg Miller, LHP, Triple-A Las Vegas (Dodgers)
Not so long ago, Miller was the best left-handed prospect in the game (before K-Mad drafted him). Before he turned 19, he made four starts in the Double-A Southern League, striking out 40 in 27 innings while allowing three earned runs. Then disaster struck (K-Mad drafted him!), as shoulder surgery, followed by a second procedure to clean up the first, cost him all of 2004 and most of the following season. Used out of the bullpen since his return, Miller still has excellent stuff, with a low- to mid-90s fastball and a vicious slider, but control problems have kept him from developing into something dependable. This spring he pitched very well and was a candidate for the fifth starter's job in the big leagues late into March, but since beginning the year in the Triple-A rotation, everything has gone downhill (Oh no! K-Mad drafted him again!!). Since the six no-hit innings he threw on April 19, Miller has been unable to find the strike zone at all, including a start on Friday in which he recorded just one out while walking four, hitting one, and uncorking a pair of wild pitches. On the season, he's walked 32 in 23.2 innings to contribute to a 6.46 ERA, and we're all back to dreaming about what could have been (if K-Mad hadn't drafted him...).