At the age of 25, Shelby Miller finished an unusual season for the Atlanta Braves. He was known as a “hard luck” pitcher; his record was only 6-17, but his ERA was an impressive 3.02.
The Diamondbacks traded first-round pick Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and a young pitcher in order to sign Miller as the number 2 pitcher behind Zach Greinke. In three successive seasons, they paid him over $4 million. He made $535,000 with the Braves, followed by three disastrous seasons. The first year, he was 3-12 with an ERA of 6.15. For the next two years, injuries kept him from pitching in all but 9 games. Three seasons with a record of 5-18 and ERAs of 6.15, 4.09, and 10.69. He was released in frustration at the end of November.
The cost of Miller’s salary: $13.5 million and the loss of Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte.
