The Toronto Blue Jays continue getting unexpected production from rookie pitcher Spencer Miles, and manager John Schneiderâs latest comments offered a notably blunt take about the young breakout right-hander. Miles silenced the New York Yankees‘ lineup for 4 1/3 shutout innings Thursday, putting an exclamation point on what the Toronto Blue Jays saw when they plucked him from San Francisco in December’s Rule 5 Draft.
And the man who put him in Thursday’s game could not have been more delighted.
Toronto manager John Schneider was asked by MLB.com beat reporter Keegan Matheson what his initial reaction was when the Blue Jays claimed Miles â a 25-year-old right-hander who had logged only 14.2 professional innings at that point. Schneiderâs candid Spencer Miles take quickly drew attention because it arrived while the rookieâs surprising rise is becoming one of the Blue Jaysâ biggest early-season storylines.
“When you’re coming off the year that you just had and you’re taking a guy in the Rule 5, my initial thought was: ‘This guy must be pretty f****** good,’” Schneider told Matheson on Thursday.
Milesâ scoreless outing at Yankee Stadium led Toronto to a 2-0 win in the series finale, earning a split of the four-game set. Through 13 appearances this season â including one start â the Columbia, Missouri, native carries a 2.55 ERA and a 1.095 WHIP across 24.2 innings, with 23 strikeouts against seven walks.
Why San Francisco Giants Left Miles Unprotected
Miles was a fourth-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Missouri. MLB Pipeline ranked him inside San Francisco’s top 30 prospects after the selection and gave plus grades to his fastball, curveball and slider.
But his career never really got started. A nagging back injury limited Miles to just 10 appearances across the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons combined. He never climbed above Low-A. San Francisco, rebuilding under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey, left Miles unprotected heading into the Rule 5 Draft, part of a sweeping decision that also exposed three former first-round picks: outfielder Hunter Bishop, right-hander Will Bednar and two-way prospect Reggie Crawford, according to writer Jack Johnson of Giants Baseball Insider on SI.
Miles did earn one final audition before the draft, making five appearances in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions, where he struck out 12 batters, walked just one and posted a 4.15 ERA across 8.2 innings. Not a home run allowed.
Blue Jays Expected Miles to Make an Impact
Toronto took Miles with the 10th overall pick in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft at the winter meetings in December. Despite the injury history and the thin résumé, the front office clearly liked what it saw.
“We think there’s a chance that he comes in and really clicks with the weapons he has,” Blue Jays assistant general manager Mike Murov said after the selection, according to writer Tobey Schulman of Inside the Blue Jays on SI. Murov singled out Miles’ sinker-cutter combination and his Arizona Fall League results as the reasons for the organization’s confidence.
Five months later, with a 2.55 ERA in 13 major-league appearances, Miles is making Murov look well-informed, and giving Schneider exactly what he envisioned. Under Rule 5 rules, the Blue Jays must keep Miles on the active roster all season or offer him back to San Francisco. Thursday’s outing against the Yankees made clear which direction Toronto is headed.
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