The summer of Aidan Miller continues. The Philadelphia Phillies' No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline rankings continues to impress and has done enough to earn his second promotion of the season.
In just his first full season of professional baseball, the 20-year-old shortstop has been everything the Phillies and the fans were hoping for. Playing in High-A Jersey Shore, Miller had himself a career game on Sunday. Afterward, Chase Ford of MiLB Central broke the news that Miller was being promoted to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.
Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller promoted after career game in High-A
MLB Pipeline's No. 28 prospect went 5-for-5 at the plate for the BlueClaws, including a home run and a double to go along with three singles. His performance tied a BlueClaws record for hits in a game.
Aidan Miller had a 5-for-5 day for Jersey Shore tying a BlueClaws record for hits in a game … Miller homered and doubled to up his average at Jersey Shore to .258 with a .797 OPS … He has 14 extra-base hits over his last 23 games pic.twitter.com/PgoV1WQ2k8
— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) September 1, 2024
Miller finishes his time in High-A batting .258 with a .797 OPS, six home runs, six triples, 12 doubles and 12 stolen bases in 58 games. Those aren't exactly eye-popping numbers, but when you consider how slowly he started his time in High-A, the tear he went on is impressive.
After hitting just .195 over his first 32 games at Jersey Shore, Miller flipped a switch in August and hit .333 with a .996 OPS in his final 26 contests.
According to Kenny Van Doren of MLB.com, Miller explained why he struggled at first in High-A on MiLB.com's The Show Before The Show podcast.
"I think it's a lot of things, looking at too many things on social media, getting promoted part of my first year," Miller said, per Van Doren. "A lot of just not being comfortable yet. There was a lot of things mixed up, and it kind of got away from who I was."
Miller began the season in Single-A and put up a strong start with the Clearwater Threshers in the Florida State League. In 39 games, the 2023 first-round pick slashed .275/.401/.483 with five home runs and 10 stolen bases. He earned his promotion to High-A in early June.
He now joins other Phillies top prospects Justin Crawford (No. 3) and Gabriel Rincones Jr. (No. 11) in Reading. Unfortunately, we'll only get a small sample size of his performance in Double-A — the Fightin Phils have two weeks remaining in their regular season schedule.
After Miller's regular season is over, the Phillies could opt to send him to the Arizona Fall League to see how he stacks up against some of the top prospects in baseball. Or they could give him an earlier start to his winter after an impressive season.