The Seattle Mariners' rookie pitcher is off to a historic start.
It generally takes time for rookies to acclimate to the MLB. It can be a difficult transition from the minors to the big leagues — especially for pitchers, who face new levels of pressure on the mound in front of sold out crowds, throwing to hitters with more poise and power than they've ever faced before.
That jump in difficultly has not fazed Seattle Mariners rookie Bryce Miller. He is, in fact, operating at historic levels of unfazed to begin to MLB career.
The 24-year-old already looks like one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Mariners rookie Bryce Miller is on the fast track to MLB history
Miller has made five starts for the Mariners, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.15 ERA and 0.511 WHIP. He has struck out 28 batters and given up only 13 hits in 31.1 innings pitched. It's hard to start your career much better than that.
Miller is keeping runners off base better than any rookie pitcher in the last 100 years. He has allowed 17 baserunners across five starts, only giving up three walks and four earned runs total. In his MLB debut on May 2 in Oakland, Miller struck out 10 batters in six innings. He came out of the gate with elite stuff.
The Mariners selected Miller with the 113th pick in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. The Texas A&M product was not expected to be this good, especially not this soon. While there are always natural ebbs and flows in baseball, it's hard not to look toward Miller's future with some measure of excitement. He could be special.
In fact, things are looking up across the board for Seattle. The Mariners have won four straight and are now above .500 at 26-24. They're 1.5 games behind the Angels for third place in the AL West and a not-insurmountable five games behind the first-place Rangers.
If Miller keeps slinging the ball like this, the Mariners can expect more wins in the weeks to come.
