Baseball: McHenry alum Bobby Miller off to dazzling start with LA Dodgers

Major League Baseball is finding out about Bobby Miller.

Brian Rockweiler was way ahead of the game.

In the winter of his freshman year at McHenry High School, Miller was participating in open gym drills when Rockweiler – the Warriors’ head baseball coach – got his first look at him.

“I grabbed one of my assistants and said, ‘You see this kid?’” Rockweiler remembered. “We were watching him, and I was like, ‘Man, who is this kid? He’s good.’”

The next step was meeting the parents after tryouts.

“We sat down and I told them, ‘We don’t usually pull up freshmen to varsity, but we think he might be able to play. I want to make sure you guys are OK with it,’” Rockweiler said. “I remember his dad said, ‘As a pitcher?’ At first we were like, ‘I don’t know if he’ll pitch a ton. We’re thinking more like third base, he can hit. He might pitch a little.’ And then, by the end of the year, he was our No. 2 pitcher.”

[ 5 things to know about McHenry native Bobby Miller ]

Miller was McHenry’s No. 1 starter the next three years, and he was a three-time all-state selection before moving on to college and starring at Louisville.

“You knew he was going to be something special, and he just was,” Rockweiler said. “Super hard worker. Great kid. You never had to tell him to get in the weight room or do some extra work. That was him.”

The Dodgers’ first-round draft pick in 2020, Miller was called up to the majors in late May, and he made his first major league start against the Braves.

“Obviously, this is as good as we could have asked for.”

—  Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president on Bobby Miller

Even though McHenry had a playoff game the next day, Rockweiler flew to Atlanta to see his former player in person.

“It was surreal, being there in the stadium and seeing him pitch,” said Rockweiler, who has headed the Warriors’ varsity program since 2007.

The last-minute trip to Atlanta was well worth the effort. Miller got the win, allowing one run over five innings while striking out five.

The impressive debut set the tone for the rookie right-hander’s rapid rise.

Heading into Saturday night’s start against the Giants, Miller was 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in four trips to the mound. He allowed only 12 hits and had 23 strikeouts in 23 innings.

Miller ran into trouble for the first time in his big league career Saturday. He allowed seven runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Three of the runs charged to Miller came on a grand slam after he was lifted in the sixth inning.

“Obviously, this is as good as we could have asked for,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman told reporters. “We knew the premium stuff was in place. But you never really know with a young player until they get up and have success and failure.”

Opening the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 24-year-old Miller had more failure than success.

In four starts, he was 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA.

“I couldn’t really tell you,” Miller said when asked why his numbers are so much better with Los Angeles. “I guess maybe just the game planning is a little bit better, adrenaline is a little bit higher, more people in the stands, locked in a little bit more.”

And, as Friedman mentioned, the “premium stuff” is there.

In his first four starts with Los Angeles, Miller threw 17 fastballs that hit 100 mph. He also features a plus slider and changeup and is developing a curveball.

“When he’s on the mound, he’s a bulldog out there,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “You can tell. He has a plan with what he’s doing out there, and he’s executing it.”

The White Sox were in Los Angeles on Tuesday through Thursday and, luckily, they didn’t have to deal with Miller.

Given the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder’s dazzling early days, any team facing Miller is going to have regrets.

“It’s super exciting,” Rockweiler said. “We always thought he was good, but you don’t think he’s going to be major league good because there’s such a small chance of guys making it. But it’s been awesome. I don’t think anything fazes him. He’s a competitor, and he wants to win. At some point, he’s probably going to get hit around a little bit, give up some runs.

“But I don’t think that’s going to change who he is. He doesn’t get down. In high school, he didn’t dominate every start, and it never got to him. If something bad happened, he didn’t let it affect him. He’s even-keeled but very competitive.”