With the 27th pick of the 2023 MLB draft the Philadelphia Phillies select shortstop/third baseman Aidan Miller out of J.W. Mitchell HS (FL). The 19-year-old infielder stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 205 lbs and looks every bit of it. He is a right-handed power hitter that every team, but especially the Phillies, are looking for from their corner infield position.
According to MLB.com, on the 80-grade scale he scores an astonishing 60 in Power and a 50 in the Hit tool. It’s said he has plus-plus bat speed that allows him to turn on high velocity pitches and Fangraphs 2023 Draft Prospect Review says Miller already has one of the fastest hitting hands in the entire 2023 Draft. On the defensive side, experts are projecting him as a Third Basemen at the big league level due to his already strong arm grading out at a 60 Arm score. Perfectgame.org profiles him as a long term left side defender because of his strong foot work, arm strength, and body control.
He was ranked 13th overall on MLB Network’s Top Draft Prospects who likely fell due to a broken hamate bone and that he is on the older side of his class. The Phillies will surely have to be patient as the 19-year old works through the injury and matures as a professional baseball player but are counting their lucky stars that he fell to 27th pick.
MLB.com, prior to the start of the 2023 season, ranked the Phillies Farm System 21st in the league. The Phillies can use a strong right-handed power bat and Miller will seemingly bolster the farm system right away. The Phillies have really seemed to hit on the last five drafts with Alec Bohm taken in 2018, Bryson Stott in 2019, Mick Abel in 2020, Andrew Painter in 2021 and most recently Justin Crawford in 2022. They hope Aidan Miller will add to the recent success and contribute to this organization in the coming years.