Dodgers News: Shelby Miller's New Pitches Should Get Fans Excited
A huge roster turnover has caused little concern within the Dodgers organization. It helps when you still have some stout veteran leadership in Clayton Kershaw on the pitching staff, but this also opens up discussion for other players ready to take on expanded roles with Shelby Miller being the next man up.
Gavin Stone is also expected to take more reps during the season which should be quite the experience for fans. While fans won't truly know what they're getting until the start of the season, they should also be smiling knowing Miller has been working on a new arsenal of pitches.
Miller still has some time to make a name for himself and he has come into the perfect situation for the Dodgers. Both sides seem to be ready to take the risk and of course the Dodgers love developing their star pitchers (via Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times).
“He had a lot of success in triple A and has fully transitioned to being a reliever,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “It’s an interesting throw — a fastball with a kind of low-slot, rise-and-run, and the slider plays off that. We feel like he’ll have a high strikeout rate with an average walk rate.”
Miller has begun throwing bullpen sessions with assistant coach Connor McGuiness and remains in constant contact with pitching coach Mark Prior.
He’s working on a split-fingered changeup, an 89-mph pitch with good diving action that he thinks “will be really good,” and an upper-80s cut-fastball.
If there is any place Miller needs to be, it's with the Dodgers. Signs point towards the right direction but only time will tell for his future success.
