Blue Jays rookie Spencer Miles, who was taken in the Rule 5 Draft, was praised by his teammate Ernie Clement and manager John Schneider.
Miles pitched great for the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday during their 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Entering the game in the second inning after opener Braydon Fisher pitched a scoreless first, Miles pitched 4.1 innings for the Blue Jays and kept them in the game. He was the winning pitcher on record, improving his record this season to 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA.
Spencer Miles Praised by Ernie Clement and John Schneider
Following the game, Miles was praised by his teammate Clement, who also had a great game for the Jays, as he hit his sixth homer of the season and added a triple and three RBIs.
“He’s done such a great job in whatever role. The long guy out of the ‘pen, or even when he’s started, he’s been awesome. He shows a lot of poise for a young kid who hasn’t really pitched at a high Minor League level or been in the big leagues before. I love when he’s on the mound. He trusts his stuff. It’s fun to watch,” Clement said (via MLB.com).
The Blue Jays have used Miles in several different roles this season as he’s acted like a Swiss Army Knife for the ballclub. With the team set to get some of their injured pitchers back in the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see how Schneider deploys Miles.
While Schneider himself isn’t sure yet what role Miles will be used in, he is happy that he’s on his team and that he can be versatile for the Blue Jays, something all baseball managers love.
“It’s going to be valuable however we need to use him. I think he’s in a good spot regardless. The fact that he’s built up is kind of like an added bonus,” Schneider said.
Spencer Miles Was a Rule 5 Pick
The 25-year-old Miles was originaly drafted in the fourth round with the 136th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He did not make it to the big leagues with San Francisco, but he finally got a chance to do so with the Blue Jays, who picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft this past winter as a pure flier.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins seems to have struck gold with Miles, who has been a very valuable pitcher for a Blue Jays’ pitching staff that has seen many injuries to its pitches this year. Whether it’s starting or coming out of the bullpen, Miles has pitched very well for the team, especially given not much was expected of him as a Rule 5 pick.
The Blue Jays will have Miles under team control for five more years past this one, so he will be a long-term member of the team as long as they want to keep him and as long as he keeps pitching as well as he has this season.
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