Miley -- who owns MLB's third-worst BB/9 at 5.52 -- is working through the growing pains of a major mechanical adjustment meant to, above all, improve his command, SB Nation's Nick Cicere reports.
An informal talk with Orioles legend Scotty McGregor during a batting practice session last year led to a discovery. McGregor, a fellow left-hander who spent his entire career (1976-88) with Baltimore, noticed that Miley was rushing through many steps in the pitching process. "The talk I had with him in the outfield last year kind of stuck with me," said Miley. "I was kind of working too hard throughout games and trying to do too much." Although the 30-year-old's current walk rate is atrocious, Miley noted that he is, to an extent, trying to work off the plate more than ever before. He's changing his mentality and looking to get hitters to chase pitches out of the zone. "It sounds kind of crazy, but my misses were killing me last year, I was missing over the plate. Now, my misses are off the plate." That's not to say Miley finds his 2.0 K/BB acceptable, but he understands it's part of the learning curve. Even though his lack of control can hurt owners, the starter has offset the damage by posting a career-high 11.0 K/9 through 31 innings thus far. Across the board, Miley's numbers suggest something major is changing in the way he's going about his seventh MLB season.