Adam Miller

Miller's quickly becoming the pitching equivalent of the Great Pumpkin as only those with great faith are sure of his existence as the big right hander was once again limited by injuries. He tossed just 28.2 innings due in large part to a finger tendon injury that ultimately required surgery to repair. He got back in time for a stint in the Dominican Winter League and saw his velocity return, striking out 27 in 29 innings. The Indians have decided to transition him to a relief role for 2009 and he'll have a chance to open some eyes this spring out of the bullpen. He'll be up in Cleveland at some point this season and offers tremendous upside if he can ever stay healthy. You can be sure Linus is waiting faithfully.

Miller cooks with gas when he's healthy. The 6-4 righty can touch 98 on the gun and also sports a slider and a nice sinker. Unfortunately, he's lost good chunks of two of the last three seasons with injuries. Last year he was working towards getting a promotion to Cleveland when a strained finger tendon derailed him in May. He made it back only to have some elbow issues. He headed to the Arizona Fall League before the finger issue resurfaced and cut short his stay there. The Indians insist he'll be completely healthy when spring training opens; if he's ready health-wise, Miller is a candidate to grab the fifth starter's job by the neck.

Not to be confused with Andrew Miller, Adam was Eastern League pitcher of the year in 2006, after his 15-6, 2.75 ERA, 157 strikeout season at Double-A Akron. Miller was up and down in his only Triple-A Buffalo appearance, which should not take away from an overall brilliant season. He will start the season in Buffalo, but will be in Cleveland sooner than later.

Elbow problems dogged Miller but he escaped surgery and appeared healthy by the time the Arizona Fall League began. The best that can be said about Miller's AFL stint is he was healthy, earning a 1-1 record and 5.68 ERA in six starts. He also walked just five and struck out 18 in 25-plus innings. He'll enter the 2006 season much as he entered the 2005 season, a top pitching prospect a couple of years from the majors.

Miller is a few years out from seeing any time in the majors, but the young pitcher has had impressive strikeout to innings pitched ratios (9.55/9 in 2004) and a low ERA. He's known for his good command and is able to work both sides of the plate effectively. He'll most likely wind up with the Indians' Double-A team in Akron if all goes well this spring.

Miller, the Indians 31st overall pick in the 2003 draft, is expected to be a riser as he was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the Rookie-level Appalachian League last year. Drafted as a Texas high-schooler, he works his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, and possesses a hard slider and changeup. A lanky 6-foot-5, he’s prone to mechanical lapses and shoulder soreness was in evidence last season. He’ll being the 2004 season in low Single-A and the organization will likely concentrate on developing repetition in his motion to avoid injury as his stuff should dominate at this level.