Twins Outfielder Ian Miller Unfiltered

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Twins have hit 283 homeruns so far this season; 16 more than any other team in major league history prior to 2019. Meanwhile, they have stolen just 26 bases. Total. In May of 1982, Rickey Henderson stole 27.

With Byron Buxton, who has 14 of those 26 steals, battling injuries all season, the Twins acquired minor league outfielder Ian Miller from the Seattle organization on August 10. He was called up to the big club on September 1.

Drafted by the Mariners in the 14th round out of Wagner College in 2013, the Philadelphia native has stolen 243 bases (with a stellar 83% rate) in seven minor league seasons. He is on the Twins roster to pinch run, possibly swipe a base and provide overall outfield depth. So far, the 27-year-old has appeared in five games and gone to the plate four times with no stolen base attempts.

I caught up with the friendly and engaging Miller at his locker during the Nationals series last week.

DZ: You’ve been here about a week and a half by my count now. What’s it been like so far?

MILLER: It’s been unbelievable. A couple people have asked me about it, man. I really don’t have words for it. It’s a dream come true. That sounds incredibly scripted, I know, but it’s literally the truth. To come from Seattle, where I was fortunate and grateful to be, and it didn’t look like things were really working out there and that’s just how it is. And to come here to a World Series caliber team and to be able to contribute with, maybe an at bat here and there, defense and base running. You just find a new sense of purpose, almost. It’s just mind-blowing.

DZ: Great. You made your debut at Fenway Park (on September 4)…you’re on the on-deck circle (ready for first major league at-bat) and got called back (for a pinch hitter), what was that like?

MILLER: Oh man, it was wild. You know, obviously the emotions were all over the place, I had the defense part down a little bit there. I got my feet wet, but you know, that was going to be my first at bat and it was against a tough pitcher. I think it was, I forget who it was. A lefty, but he was throwing hard man. You know it was a big situation and obviously Skip (Rocco Baldelli) knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s a chess game.

As soon as I got called out from the on-deck it’s like, “All right, it is what it is, whatever we have to do to win.” And I just kind of gave him a high five and basically hugged him. Just like, thank you man. You let a four or five year old kid with big dreams pretty much debut in Fenway Park and you made my life have meaning almost at that point. So it was cool man, my mom and my girlfriend were in the stands and the got to see it and we’ll never forget.

DZ: With it being at Fenway Park too, you couldn’t have picked a cooler place.

MILLER: I know, just the history there man. Walking around; we got to sign the (green) monster, man. It’s just, it was wild. It was a dream come true.

DZ: Obviously you’re known as being base stealer throughout minor leagues…Seems like in the major leagues, that isn’t happening as much, is that becoming kind of lost art, you think?

MILLER: Yeah, yeah. I mean there are players like the Nationals Trea Tuner on the other side, who steals a lot of bases and he’s you know, one of the best in the game at doing it. You see some teams maybe hang on to a guy or two that can do it here and there, especially in the playoff contending teams…I definitely think it’s a lost art, but it also gives guys like me a bit more value. If I can come in and steal a meaningful bag, if that’s what we need. So I just, maybe it’ll open up some doors and some opportunities. You never know. I definitely think it is a lost art. Especially, one through nine in this line-up team here…everybody can hit the ball out the ballpark and there’s four, five, six, I don’t know how many guys on the bench. They can hit the ball out of the ballpark too. So you know, being able to run and steal bag when we need is a pretty big thing.

DZ: Did you have any like idols, heroes for base stealers growing up? I know you were probably too young for Rickey Henderson and all those guys.

MILLER: Yeah, oh yeah, as much video as I could find on Rickey Henderson, I have saved, I have studied. Growing up I was a big Ichiro fan. Big Ichiro fan. Got to meet him a couple times, and he remembers my name, and it was like a dream come true. Just seeing how he can get on base in unconventional ways, that’s like a beautiful art, his swing is art. And how he was able to get on base and steal bases, but the past couple years I’ve been watching Jarrod Dyson, you know how he steals bases in the playoff games and uses his speed. I mean he’s a successful base stealer, successful big league player and he’s been around a long time.

DZ: Couple of just quick things, when you were traded at the Twins, where were you when you found out?

MILLER: I was in, we were Oklahoma City playing the Dodgers (Triple A affiliate) and we had just finished a game and it was past the trade deadline, and I didn’t know the rules, I wasn’t on the roster so I guess guys not on the roster can get traded. I was like, “dang man.” I put up a pretty good year, stole some bases, hit a little bit and played good defense. There was no love there. I was actually kind of bummed, I just want to win, I just want to play. Getting pulled in the office after the game, I just went 0-4 in Oklahoma City, so kind of left on a low note at that. But (the trade) was awesome…I didn’t expect it. No one expected it so it was cool, it was cool to get a fresh start.

DZ: Must have known they had some kind of plan to possibly call you up to trade for you at that time of year?

MILLER: Yeah, you know, with me being a minor league free agent, not like I can pick and choose where I want to go after this year but, offers come in and I can go anywhere, I guess where I’m offered. When they traded for me it was kind of like, huh? But obviously they wouldn’t just trade for me for nothing, if I’m a minor league free agent in two or three weeks.

I thought there was a plan but, also I had to prove myself. I had to prove myself to Joel Skinner, “Skins” my manager in AAA. I had to prove to him that I could steal some bases and some big opportunities. Our bench coach called down from the big Llague team here and said some things I needed to do and work on and show, now the rest is history.

DZ: Cool, one last kind of quick off the wall thing. I was looking at your Instagram page, I noticed earlier in the year you had long hair, cut it off. What was the-

MILLER: I was probably, I think I cut it off about a month ago….Probably about two weeks before I got traded over here and we were joking about how I cut my hair and finally got an opportunity. No, it was just, I’m not going to have this hair forever man, I might as well grow it out while I can. I played with Ben Gamel, and Jason Werth and they both were rocking the long hair. And I look up to those dudes and I thought it was a pretty cool look. I’m not a big guy like those guys are so it wasn’t my style. It didn’t work out. It’s better like this, it’s lower maintenance so it’s less in the way.

See more of David Zingler’s 2019 athlete interviews: September 5: Tyler Duffey August 29: Jake Odorizzi August 27: Mitch Garver August 23: Trevor May August 21: Sergio Romo August 17: Sylvia Fowles July 25: Max Kepler July 20: Kyle Gibson July 10: Alaina Coates June 25: Taylor Rogers June 19: Ryan Eades June 16: Jason Castro May 18: Seimone Augustus April 24: Ryne Harper April 21: CJ Cron February 2: Caleb Truax

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