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Selected in the 4th round of the 1986 BLB draft, Doug Miles has done everything he can to make it known to the Freedom front office that he is the future Ace of the organization. As an 18 year old kid out of high school Miles was overwhelmed during his first taste of A Ball competition, posting a 7+ era and 1.77 WHIP in 22.0 IP during his debut season. He came back in ’87 and toyed with A Ball hitters, earning a surprising quick promotion to AA in the middle of the season after compiling impressive numbers in limited duty during his second stint in A Ball. Despite limited exposure to professional hitters, Freedom management took a chance on fast tracking Miles’ development by inserting him into the AA starting rotation midway through the ’87 season. He did not disappoint.
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<tr class="tableizer-firstrow"><th>1987</th><th>W</th><th>L</th><th>ERA</th><th>G</th><th>GS</th><th>IP</th><th>HA</th><th>R</th><th>ER</th><th>HR</th><th>BB</th><th>K</th><th>WHIP</th><th>QS</th><th>K/BB</th><th>H/9</th><th>BB/9</th><th>K/9</th></tr><tr><td>AA</td><td>7</td><td>3</td><td>3.28</td><td>12</td><td>12</td><td>74.0</td><td>59</td><td>28</td><td>27</td><td>5</td><td>36</td><td>81</td><td>1.28</td><td>7</td><td>2.25</td><td>7.18</td><td>4.38</td><td>9.85</td></tr></table>
He returned to AA to start the ’88 season while the Freedom brass kept a close eye on his production. He got off to a quick start and appeared to lose concentration as the season reached the midway point. The organization got the message that he had accomplished what he needed to at AA and promoted him to AAA for the second half. Again he excelled, helping the Trenton Liberty reach the AAA championship series (which was ultimately lost, but Miles performed well in the playoff series as well in his 1 start).
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<tr class="tableizer-firstrow"><th>1988</th><th>W</th><th>L</th><th>ERA</th><th>G</th><th>GS</th><th>IP</th><th>HA</th><th>R</th><th>ER</th><th>HR</th><th>BB</th><th>K</th><th>WHIP</th><th>QS</th><th>K/BB</th><th>H/9</th><th>BB/9</th><th>K/9</th></tr> <tr><td>AA</td><td>5</td><td>6</td><td>3.12</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>98.0</td><td>93</td><td>40</td><td>34</td><td>1</td><td>36</td><td>125</td><td>1.32</td><td>6</td><td>3.47</td><td>8.54</td><td>3.31</td><td>11.48</td></tr> <tr><td>AAA</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>2.20</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>82.0</td><td>63</td><td>20</td><td>20</td><td>2</td><td>30</td><td>100</td><td>1.13</td><td>9</td><td>3.33</td><td>6.91</td><td>3.29</td><td>10.98</td></tr> <tr><td>Overall</td><td>9</td><td>10</td><td>2.70</td><td>29</td><td>29</td><td>180.0</td><td>156</td><td>60</td><td>54</td><td>3</td><td>66</td><td>225</td><td>1.23</td><td>15</td><td>3.41</td><td>7.80</td><td>3.30</td><td>11.25</td></tr></table>
What's Next: The current 25th ranked prospect in the BLB, Miles will probably start the ’89 season in AAA, but he has probably earned a Spring Training invite and could force his way onto the BLB roster. He thinks he’s ready and we won’t want him to become bored with AAA the same way he tired of AA this season. The only remaining concern with Miles (other than health, but that can be said of any young pitcher) is his control. He’s had bouts of wildness in the past, but seems to be settling into a decent groove with his mechanics. We’d love to see his BB/9 rate drop below 3.00, but when you’re striking out 11+ batters per game a little wildness can be overlooked.
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