Red Sox's Miller Looking Towards Future

Andrew Miller is not one to play "what if" games.
He hasn't thought about what would have happened if he hadn't wild pitched Chris Iannetta to second with two strikes on J. B. Shuck at Anaheim at the beginning of July. He doesn't question how he spun to home to cover the plate on Schuck's single. He doesn't let what happened that night ruin what was a great season otherwise.
"As tough as it was to sit out the second half of the season, I don't feel like there's a lot I'd change about last year," Miller told The Boston Herald.
Miller has been rehabbing in his offseason home in Tampa and is looking toward regaining his spot at the back of the Red Sox's bullpen.
"All the doctors I saw, all the second opinions, I always asked if there was something I could've done," Miller said. "Was I eating the right things? Was I doing something that made me more susceptible to this? Was it my shoes? Everyone said, don't worry. For whatever reason, I hit that angle, there was a one in a million chance it happens, and it did.
"So now I get it better and move on. There are unfortunate things we have to go through. It is what it is. No positive can come from dwelling on it."
Miller says he will be ready to play when spring training begins next month. He has been rehabbing three times a week in Florida with a physical therapist used by the Red Sox. Miller has also been working on an offseason throwing program and working out on his own.
"I'm running, hopping, doing plyometrics, jumping around, agility, all of that stuff," Miller said. "Everything has gone as planned, if not as good as I could've hoped. I'm happy with where everything's at, and it seems like everything's going to be just fine."
Miller sustained the dreaded Lisfranc injury to his left foot on July 6th. He finished his best season striking out 48 in 302/3 innings, an average of 14.1 Ks per nine innings, with a 2.64 ERA in 37 appearances. When the playoffs began, manager John Farrell mentioned Miller as one of the team's biggest losses, since he could overpower lefties and righties.
Miller was there for the team throughout the entire postseason, cheering them on. He said it was a "blast" but said it was bittersweet as well.
"There were certainly times sitting in the dugout watching, thinking, 'This is a time I could have helped,'" he said. "It drives me, not getting that experience first-hand. I was as close as you can get without being on the field and contributing."
This year, Miller hopes to be on the field during the World Series, helping his team the way he could not in 2013.
Reference: Boston Herald
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Foot Injury Ends Andrew Miller's Season

Lefthander Andrew Miller has been a surprise member of the Boston Red Sox's bullpen this season.

Unfortunately, he was told Monday that his season is over because he needs surgery on his left foot.
Dr. George Theodore, a foot specialist, diagnosed Miller with the dreaded Lisfranc injury. It was determined that Miller has a torn ligament between bones in the middle of his foot. Miller has decided to get a second opinion before scheduling surgery, but the Red Sox do not believe the diagnosis will change.
Miller sustained the injury when he replaced Ryan Dempster in the seventh inning of Saturday's game and faced just one batter before going down with the injury. He came in to pitch with one out in the seventh and threw a wild pitch to J. B. Shuck at the plate, which allowed Chris Iannetta to take second base. Shuck then singled to center field and Miller jumped off the mound and headed to home to play a potential play. Miller fell to the ground in pain and grabbed his foot.
Miller was helped off the field by John Farrell and the team's trainer and looked like he couldn't put any weight on his left foot. After the game Farrell said Miller sustained a foot injury and was having X-rays done at the hospital, but that was the only information available.
When asked the significance of the loss, Farrell said, "Very. Given the way he's pitched and the importance of that power lefthander in the bullpen, it is."
Miller is currently third on the team with 37 appearances with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Over 30 innings he has struck out 48.
Miller was once a first-round pick of the Detroit Tigers but struggled with command early in his career and was traded twice. The Red Sox however showed patience with the 6 foot 7 inch lefty by first starting him and then placing him in the bullpen, changing his mechanics.
This season has been Miller's best in the Majors, with him proving reliable in late innings.
"Obviously on a personal level, it's disappointing and from a team perspective we'll miss him," said Craig Breslow, now the only left handed pitcher in the bullpen. "This team has shown we're pretty resilient and we've had to overcome some key injuries. This is another one. We have no option but to keep on moving forward.
"Andrew been trending upward the last couple of years at a pretty rapid pace. His potential has been documented and he was finally realizing. It's got to be a tough blow for him."
Farrell agrees: "He was well on his way to becoming a dominant lefthanded reliever."
References: Boston Globe and NESN.
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Craig M. Kaufman, DPM
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