Andrew Miller still adjusting

Mark Wiley continues to work closely with Andrew Miller on his delivery and his pitches.

In the process of adjusting to a more simplified delivery, Miller also is trying to regain the touch on his two-seam fastball -- or sinker.

It's a pitch that was effective for him in college at the University of North Carolina. It's a pitch he threw early in his Minor League career when he was in the Tigers system. But the last few years, it's a pitch he hasn't thrown much, if at all.

"I'm trying to work on my two-seamer, a pitch that completely disappeared the last couple of years," Miller said on Tuesday. "I threw a lot of them today. I threw some good ones and some really bad ones, but that's what today was really for."

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There were no fielders behind him. Instead, pitching coach Mark Wiley was positioned in back of the mound, protected by a screen.

The close view gave Wiley a chance to talk directly to Miller, who continues to undergo a pitching makeover in his mechanics from last year.

"A lot of times I don't do that," Wiley said of being so close to the pitcher. "Today, because it was a simulated thing, I wanted to be able to say certain things to him, sort of subtle things. I told him some pitches I wanted him to throw and where I wanted him to throw.

 

 

This is going to take some time before Miller is comfortable with the new delivery and adding a new pitch.  Don't be surprised if he opens the season in New Orleans especially since the Marlins won't be needing a fifth starter until the latter part of April.

If he does open the season in New Orleans it doesn't mean he won't be the fifth starter it just means the team wants him to get some work.  Which is something that isn't always guaranteed to happen if he just sits in the bullpen.

Initially this whole process will be foreign and frustrating but Andrew is willing and eventually it will payoff.

If you read the BP Team Health Report, you did learn there is a downside early on to changing a pitcher.  Sometimes when a player starts to perform different motions than they are used to, they have to rely on different muscle which aren't as well honed and an injury can occur.

That said, this isn't the first time the Marlins have made adjustments to a young pitcher's game and they should have a decent idea how to minimize the physical risk.