| Justin Miller | |
|---|---|
Miller pitching for the Florida Marlins in June 2007. |
|
| Free Agent | |
| Relief pitcher | |
| Born: August 27, 1977 Torrance, California |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 12, 2002 for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Career statistics (through 2010 season) |
|
| Win–loss record | 24–14 |
| Earned run average | 4.82 |
| Strikeouts | 300 |
| Teams | |
Justin Mark Miller (born August 27, 1977 in Torrance, California) is an American professional baseball pitcher, who is currently a free agent.
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Miller played in the 1992 Little League World Series with Torrance and played high school baseball with Torrance High School, where he was first team All-State and Conference player of the year as a Senior. He attended Los Angeles Harbor College and was a Junior College All-American in 1997.
Miller was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 5th round of the 1997 MLB Draft and made his professional debut with the Rookie-Class Portland Rockies, helping them win the Northwest League championship
Miller was traded by the Rockies to the Oakland Athletics on Dec. 13, 1999 (along with Jamey Wright and Henry Blanco) for Scott Karl and Jeff Cirillo. He spent most of 2000 and 2001 with the AAA Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League.
Miller was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on Dec. 7, 2001 (along with Eric Hinske) for Billy Koch. He made his Major League debut on April 12, 2002 for the Blue Jays against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief, hitting his first two batter, and allowing a total of four hits and one run. He made his first ML start on April 27 against the Anaheim Angels, but lasted only 3 2/3 innings while giving up four runs. He appeared in 25 games with the Blue Jays in 2002, starting 18 of them and finished 9-5 with a 5.54 ERA. He missed most of the 2003 season with a shoulder injury and returned in 2004, where he appeared in 19 games for the Blue Jays (15 starts) and went 3-4 with a 6.06 E.R.A.. He then spent most of 2005 with the AAA Syracuse Sky Chiefs, only appearing in one game for the Blue Jays.
He signed as a minor league free agent with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006 and appeared in five games for their AAA affiliate, the Durham Bulls. He was then released and played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, pitching in twelve games.
After a three-game stint with the Philadelphia Phillies AAA affiliate, the Ottawa Lynx, Miller signed a minor-league contract with the Florida Marlins.
He started the season at Triple-A Albuquerque and was recalled by the Marlins on May 19, 2007, due to an injury to Ricky Nolasco. Although Miller had been a starter in previous seasons, the Marlins used him to fill a relief role, with former closer Byung-Hyun Kim taking Nolasco's spot in the starting rotation. The Marlins released him on October 3, 2008.
On November 1, 2008, the San Francisco Giants signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He made the Giants roster and appeared in 44 games out of the bullpen for the Giants in 2009.
Miller was signed to a minor league contract which included an invitation to spring training by the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 4, 2009.[1] He was assigned to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes to start the season. His contract was purchased by the Dodgers on May 27. He appeared in 19 games with the Dodgers with a 4.44 ERA. He was designated for assignment on July 23.[2] He cleared waivers and was reassigned to Albuquerque. In 32 games for the Isotopes in 2010, he had a 1.95 ERA. He was granted free agency on October 6.
On November 17, 2010, Miller signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. He was released by Seattle on April 25, 2011.
Miller signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on April 29. He was later released by the Rangers.
On July 4, 2011, Miller signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[3] He pitched in 3 games for the Albuquerque Isotopes, walking four and allowing two runs in 1.2 innings for a 10.80 ERA. He was released on July 25.
Miller is known for his many tattoos. In a move sometimes called the "Justin Miller rule", Major League Baseball told Miller that he had to wear a long-sleeved shirt under his jersey whenever he was playing because hitters complained about being distracted by Miller's sleeve tattoos.[4]