The Blue Jays have Found a Diamond in The Rough in Spencer Miles
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The Toronto Blue Jays may finally be done with bullpen games, thanks to an unexpected contributor. Spencer Miles has been nothing short of dominant during his brief time with the team this season, quickly establishing himself as a strong pitcher. Selected in the Rule 5 Draft last December, Miles had never pitched in the major leagues and had only participated in 10 professional games before this season.
The Blue Jays selected him from the San Francisco Giants organization, where he spent the previous few seasons. After posting a 1.38 ERA in April, Miles has earned the trust of Blue Jays Manager John Schneider and taken full advantage of his opportunities.
He threw 4.1 scoreless innings in Toronto's 2-0 win over the New York Yankees in the series finale on Thursday night. Not only was it a third consecutive scoreless relief appearance, but he dominated. He allowed just two hits, while walking one, and struck out six to lower his season ERA to 2.17.
He's riding an 11-inning scoreless streak, over which he's allowed six hits, walked three, and struck out thirteen. What's most incredible is where he's come from, because it's not always been this easy for Miles.
After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, Miles pitched 7.1 innings over five games between the ACL Giants and the Single-A San Jose Giants. After getting his feet wet in the lower levels of professional baseball, he missed the entire 2023 season due to back surgery. Once he returned, he threw just 7.1 innings before Tommy John Surgery claimed another victim.
The Blue Jays have Finally Found Something Special
He missed the entire 2025 season and finally returned in the Arizona Complex League last fall. He allowed four earned runs over 8.2 innings, and the Blue Jays decided to take a chance on him, and it's paying dividends so far.
Miles has pitched so well that it's hard to wonder if the Blue Jays are tempted to convert him into a starter, given how quickly the rotation depth vanished due to injuries.
“It looks the part, right?” Schneider said via Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “It’s a repeatable delivery, and he holds his stuff. He’s got some pretty good weapons. He’s got a good idea how to pitch. That all goes into it, but you’ve got to do a lot of homework on a guy like that with that kind of background.”
Miles threw a season high 63 pitches on Thursday night, and has slowly worked his way higher and higher. The problem is, Miles hasn't pitched more than nine innings in a season since his 2022 collegiate campaign with Missouri. Inexperience with longevity, coupled with multiple surgeries over the last couple of seasons, raises concerns about his long-term success, but he hasn't budged.
The more he's been used, the better he's pitched, and against the Yankees of all teams, it's not like he's facing a Low-A team like he probably should be with his limited experience. Miles has been a massive surprise this season, and he's only making Schneider's job easier and the Blue Jays better.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.