Aidan Miller already has a connection to Major League Baseball. His brother, Jackson, was a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2020 MLB Draft. Both brothers attended J.W. Mitchell High School in the small, census-designated area (CDA) of Trinity, Florida. The younger Miller is a power-hitting, third-base prospect. Miller had an impressive 2022 summer on the showcase circuit. Miller showed his powerful bat by winning the High School Homerun Derby Showcase during last July’s MLB All-Star festivities in Los Angeles. He was named MVP of the All-American Game as well. Miller is the top third base prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft Class and is the fourth overall best infield prospect in the draft.
Miller is projected as the 12th-best overall prospect, regardless of position. While draft player rankings rarely correlate to what pick the player will be chosen with, for all intents and purposes, the Arizona Diamondbacks have the 12th pick in the draft. Miller is hoping to one day be in the majors with his brother, but in the spirit of brotherly competition, Aidan is hoping he will get there first.
Aidan Miller Draft Profile
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Strengths
In addition to his powerful bat, Miller also has incredible arm strength. What most scouts like about Miller is that he is already very strong and powerful. He is seen as a big-league corner. While he is currently a third baseman, it would not be at all surprising to see him moved to first base, as has been done with countless third-base prospects in the past. Miller also has a very quick bat and is able to crush pitches, even those at top velocities.
Weaknesses
Miller is coming back from a hamate injury. While it may not appear to be serious, it may deter some overly-cautious MLB teams from choosing Miller. Teams that do their due diligence, however, will likely see it is a non-issue, which reflects why Miller is still the twelfth-best prospect in the draft and has not had a free-fall. Miller did have better speed in his early high school days, however, as he has switched positions from shortstop the third, his focus has been on getting bigger and more powerful, which has brought down his running speed to, “just average.”
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MLB Comparison
Miller draws comparisons physically, to the Tampa Bay Rays third basemen, Yandy Diaz, albeit ten pounds lighter, at 205. Both Diaz and Miller stand 6′-2″. Unlike Miller, Diaz’s path to the majors was very different. Diaz defected to the Dominican Republic, from Cuba in 2013. Diaz signed a contract with the Cleveland Guardians organization upon defecting. One other major difference between the two is that Miller appears to have the potential to have a more powerful bat than Diaz, who has just 51 home runs in on 1,877 Major League career at-bats with the Rays and the Guardians. Diaz is batting .317 this season. With his quick bat, Miller is hoping to be a .300+ hitter, while also demonstrating his power, at the Major League level in the not-so-distant future.
Photo Credit: © Brandon Folsom-USA TODAY Sports
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