Not many players reach Double-A at just 20 years old. Not many players have as much talent as the Phillies‘ top prospect Aidan Miller.
“It’s a big honor,” said Miller pregame on his promotion. “It shows all the work I put in is finally paying off. When I found out on Sunday, I was super excited to finish the season here.”
Aidan Miller preparing for his shot at Double-A
This is Miller’s 3rd stop in the minors in 2024. When he was promoted to High-A Jersey Shore in June, he struggled at first. Miller called it a “regular baseball slump” when he had his rough patch in June and July. He proved that with a hot August in which he hit .299 with a .907 OPS.
That reached a crescendo with a 5-hit game on September 1st, leading to his promotion to Double-A Reading on Tuesday.
Aidan Miller’s quick rise through the system has been a lot to take in for him but it’s given him confidence.
“I don’t think it’s really settled in yet,” said Miller. “It shows that they believe in me and believe that I can get it done at this level.”
Miller mentioned that he got a warm welcome from the other Fightins players but was especially happy to be reunited with another top prospect, Justin Crawford. “He’s one of my best buddies,” said Miller. “He’s such a great player. It’s just cool to share the field with him.”
Justin Crawford spoke highly of Miller too. “that kid has a great work ethic like no other”.
Crawford gave Miller a piece of advice on his first day of Double-A.
“The biggest thing he’s told me is to stay grounded and be where I’m at right now. Not trying to worry what happened in the past or the future just trying to stay in the present.”
It looked like he took that advice to heart quickly. In his first at-bat, he lined a single into right field for his first Double-A hit. While it was his lone hit of the day, he added his first RBI in the 3rd inning on a fielder’s choice.
“The kid was nice and relaxed,” said manager Al Pedrique of Aidan Miller postgame. “For his age, I think that he’s very mature.” When Miller arrived in Reading Pedrique told him to “Have some fun.” and “Go out there and play some games.”
He also confirmed that Miller would be the starting shortstop to finish the season.
photo credit: Alec Kostival
