The last time the Cardinals had a highly touted pitching prospect his name was Adam Wainwright.
Since then, Wainwright has closed out a World Series Championship and has finished third and then second in the National League Cy Young in consecutive seasons.
If Shelby Miller, the St. Louis Cardinals first round draft pick out of a Texas high school in 2009, can duplicate Wainwright's success, Cardinals fans should be happy for years to come.
Scouting experts are predicting that Miller will do just that.
In the annual survey of top prospects going into each season, Shelby Miller finished 20th among all prospects in Major League Baseball by MLB.com.
Miller, who is just 20 years old, was 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA for Quad Cities in 2010. Most impressive were Miller's 140 strikeouts in just 104 innings, signs that the youngster has dominating stuff.
Miller will be invited to the major league camp when spring training starts. The experience should provide Cardinals fans with a glimpse of the future and more importantly, with Miller a chance to work with Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.
"[Duncan] really doesn't say much," Miller said. "He's really good on the mental side of the game. Getting ground balls, getting ahead in the count, that's all he wants you to do. He doesn't want you to strike out any batters. He just wants you to get the batter out. That's awesome out of a pitching coach. He's just the best of the best, and I'm looking forward to spending time with him again."
Since then, Wainwright has closed out a World Series Championship and has finished third and then second in the National League Cy Young in consecutive seasons.
If Shelby Miller, the St. Louis Cardinals first round draft pick out of a Texas high school in 2009, can duplicate Wainwright's success, Cardinals fans should be happy for years to come.
Scouting experts are predicting that Miller will do just that.
In the annual survey of top prospects going into each season, Shelby Miller finished 20th among all prospects in Major League Baseball by MLB.com.
Miller, who is just 20 years old, was 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA for Quad Cities in 2010. Most impressive were Miller's 140 strikeouts in just 104 innings, signs that the youngster has dominating stuff.
Miller will be invited to the major league camp when spring training starts. The experience should provide Cardinals fans with a glimpse of the future and more importantly, with Miller a chance to work with Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.
"[Duncan] really doesn't say much," Miller said. "He's really good on the mental side of the game. Getting ground balls, getting ahead in the count, that's all he wants you to do. He doesn't want you to strike out any batters. He just wants you to get the batter out. That's awesome out of a pitching coach. He's just the best of the best, and I'm looking forward to spending time with him again."
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