Dodgers sign 1st-round pick Bobby Miller

The Dodgers have reportedly signed their first-round draft pick, right-hander Bobby Miller out of Louisville, per Jim Callis of MLB.com and Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. Miller also tweeted a picture of him signing the contract.

Both reported a signing bonus for Miller of $2.2 million, all but $2,500 of which counts against the bonus pool.

The 29th overall pick had a recommended slot value of $2,424,600. With two of six picks signed so far, the Dodgers are $456,800 under their bonus pool.

The Dodgers haven’t yet announced the signing.

Miller had a 2.31 ERA in his four starts as a junior with Louisville, with 34 strikeouts in 23⅓ innings. Like the other three pitchers drafted by the Dodgers, all made improvements from 2019 to 2020.

“We expect him to be a fast riser given his talent level, makeup, and current performance,” Dodgers vice president of amateur scouting Billy Gasparino said on draft night.

Gasparino said he didn’t see Miller this season since it was a truncated year, but did see Miller in person last year. Miller was one of two Dodgers draftees Gasparino saw in person, along with third-round pick Jake Vogel, an outfielder from Huntington Beach High School.

During the shutdown, Louisville’s weight room was closed, but Miller said he was able to work out at a local gym. If he’s not pitching to his catcher Ben Metzinger, Miller has been throwing into a net.

“I can still get all my throwing in, but not as many bullpens as I would like to,” Miller said on draft night. “I’ve been doing really good workouts right now.”

Now that he’s signed, it’s unclear what happens next for Miller, especially with the minor league season in doubt. Perhaps some time at Camelback Ranch in Arizona is in Miller’s future.

“We’re going to try our best to get him some kind of development time over the next three or four months, depending on what they allow us to do,” Gasparino said.