Dodgers move Aaron Miller from pitchers mound to outfield

The Dodgers have decided to switch things up with former supplemental first round pick Aaron Miller. The left-handed pitcher has been demoted from Double-A Chattanooga to Class-A Great Lakes, and will switch to the outfield.

"This was something the organization has been talking about for close to a year. His velocity had dropped and he’s had some nagging injuries," said Dodgers head of player development De Jon Watson. "He was a two-way player coming out of Baylor when we drafted him and we liked what we saw in his bat when he pitched."

Miller hit .310/.415/.568 with 12 home runs, 47 RBI, 50 strikeouts, and 25 walks in 56 games in his junior season in 2009. The Dodgers drafted Miller 36th overall in the 2009 draft, and head of scouting Logan White at the time called Miller a pitcher in the Erik Bedard mold.

Unfortunately that comparison is true today. Miller was 6-6 with a 4.45 ERA in 25 starts in 2012 with Double-A Chattanooga, and after a move to the bullpen this season put up a 6.00 ERA in 24 innings, with 26 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Miller, 25, is the oldest player on the Loons. In his minor league career he has only been able to hit when in Chattanooga, and in 56 minor league plate appearances hit .234/.275/.426, with a home run, two doubles and two triples.

"We felt this was the right time to make the switch given his age and his desire to continue pursuing his big league dream and help this organization," Watson said.