Philadelphia Phillies fans are eagerly awaiting shortstop Aidan Miller's debut in the big leagues. The team's top position player prospect is eagerly awaiting it, too.
The only difference is that Miller can do something about his timeline to play at Citizens Bank Park. The rest of us can only watch from the outside and keep our fingers crossed that he ends up being as good as scouts, prospect evaluators and the Phillies organization thinks he can be.
Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller 'a little starstruck' but motivated to get to majors
The 20-year-old is in big league spring training camp for the first time. He earned his place, rocketing through three levels of the minors last year — his first full year in professional baseball. You'll have to forgive him if he's a little overwhelmed at first, or, as he told gathered media on Tuesday, even a little starstruck, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
“I feel like half of this locker room are guys I grew up watching play,” Miller said, per Zolecki. “It's so cool to be in the same presence as those guys. And I feel a little starstruck, like a kid again.”
Drafted in the first round out of high school in 2023, Miller hit .261 with an. 811 OPS, 11 home runs and 60 RBI in 102 games in 2024, mostly in Single- and High-A, with a short pitstop in Double-A Reading at the end of the season. After his whirlwind season, it sounds like Miller is more motivated than ever to push himself toward his MLB debut.
“I would say everything,” Miller said about what he needs to improve for a quicker promotion, per Zolecki. “Every single day, I'm trying to find a way to get better at every little aspect of my game. In the cages, it's really just making it tough environments in there, doing angled machines, live BP, just finding ways to challenge myself. Ultimately, it will make me a better hitter.”
At the beginning of the offseason, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski slammed the brakes on the Miller hype train, saying that Miller wouldn't be a factor in 2025. But Dombrowski's comments last week made it sound like it depends on Miller and they're leaving it up to his performance to dictate his progress.
Miller is game.
"I mean, that's the goal, I want to get to Philly as fast as I can. I want to be there and stick there," Miller said in a video shared by 94WIP's Devan Kaney. "I'm open to playing anywhere. As long as I'm in that lineup, I'm willing to play anywhere in the field."
“That’s the goal, I want to get to Philly as fast as I can. I want to be there and stick there.”
— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) February 18, 2025
Top prospect Aiden Miller - who has been working out at SS - on his versatility and willingness to play “anywhere in the field” for the Phillies: pic.twitter.com/vKIgTLoX45
Realistically, we may have to wait until next spring to see Miller take the next step to the big leagues. But there's always an outside chance we see him get his feet wet with the Phillies later this year — perhaps as a September call-up, if his season goes how everyone hopes it will.
Eventually, Miller should play alongside Phillies' star veterans like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Zack Wheeler. Whenever it happens, he won't be as starstruck.