Phillies news and rumors 1/9: Aidan Miller named ‘biggest steal’ from first round of 2023 MLB Draft

The Phillies selected Aidan Miller in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. (Tim Kelly/Phillies Nation)

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis recently made an interesting comment regarding Phillies 2023 first-round pick Aidan Miller.

In a prospect mailbag for MLB.com, Callis was asked about Miller and named him the “biggest steal of the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.”

Miller, who was selected with the 27th pick in last year’s draft, came in at No. 90 in MLB Pipeline’s end-of-year 2023 Top 100 prospects list. Callis said that Miller is expected to move up significantly from No. 90 in the publication’s preseason 2024 rankings.

“He was the best hitter on the high school showcase circuit the previous summer, and it never made sense to me that his stock dipped because he missed most of his senior season with a broken left hamate,” Callis wrote. “He’s going to hit for power and average, and he’ll settle in at third base after spending his pro debut at shortstop.”

Miller, 19, earned a late-season promotion to Single-A Clearwater in his first season of professional baseball. He batted .414 in 29 at-bats in the Florida Coast League before his promotion to the Threshers. He’ll likely stay in Clearwater to begin 2024 and slowly work his way up the Phillies system. Callis predicted that Miller, who was drafted as a shortstop, will be the Phillies’ starting third baseman in 2026 at the age of 22.

A lot can happen in two years, but it’s a promising sign for the Phillies that the early feedback on Miller is positive. Most of the team’s infield is locked in through the 2027 season with Bryce Harper at first, Bryson Stott at second and Trea Turner at shortstop. Interestingly enough, 2026 is Alec Bohm’s final season of team control.

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