A Conversation With Former Red Sox and Angels Outfielder Rick Miller

Rick Miller had a solid, albeit unremarkable, big league career. A left-handed hitting center fielder known mostly for his speed and defense — he was awarded a Gold Glove in 1978 — Miller slashed .269/346/.350 in 4,440 plate appearances from 1971-1985. He spent his first seven seasons with the Red Sox, the next three with the California Angels, then returned to Boston for five more.

Miller entered pro ball on the heels of a Big Ten batting title. In his junior season with the Michigan State Spartans, the Grand Rapid native hit .429, prompting the Red Sox to take him in the second round of the 1969 draft. Little more than two years later — this despite a swing adjustment that may have been ill-advised — he was in the big leagues to stay.

Miller discussed the early and late portions of his career when the Red Sox held an alumni game at Fenway Park two summers ago.

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David Laurila: What do you remember about the start of your career?

Rick Miller: “I was drafted in 1969 out of Michigan State. There were a lot of contact hitters at the time, and I got some bad advice when I first came up. This was from one of the people in the Red Sox organization. I’m not going to name him, but when I signed, I went to Pittsfield [Massachusetts], which was Double-A. They watched me take batting practice. I was told, ‘You’ll never be able to hit that way in the big leagues” — the way I was hitting.”

Laurila: What were you doing that they didn’t like?

Miller: “Well, I don’t know. But wherever it was, they didn’t like the way I was swinging. And I was hitting pretty well at the time. But I listened. I was young, naive, and stupid. I didn’t know any better. I’d hit that way on my life, and in my opinion you don’t tell somebody, ‘You can’t hit that way,’ until they get a chance to show if they can do it.

“So I changed. And I never hit that well in the minor leagues. I played two-plus years in the minors, and never did a lot with the bat. My defense is pretty much what got me to the big leagues. Once I was there, I did improve my hitting. It was a longer process, because I used to hit a certain way. I think I would have been successful had I… of course, I wasn’t a big guy. I didn’t hit a lot of home runs.”

Laurila: I recall you having success when you first came up [in September 1971].

Miller: “I did. When I got called up, I hit .333. I forget exactly, but I was either 11-for-33 or 15-for-45. One or the other. Anyway, Ben Oglivie and I came up together. Carlton Fisk. Cecil Cooper. Juan Beniquez. John Curtis. They called us ‘The Kiddie Corp.’ The regulars played one day, and the rookies played the other day. We’d always win, so we got nicknamed ‘The Kiddie Corp.’ It worked out. We all stayed in the big leagues.”

Laurila: For the most part, you made your living on defense.

Miller: “Early on. I came into the league as a defensive guy, and I left as a hitter. I was one of the best pinch-hitters in the American League. When I left… you know, my career probably could have been longer. I could have played in the National League. The San Francisco Giants called Lou Gorman, who was [Boston’s] GM at the time, to ask about me.

“I’d played out my contract with the Red Sox — I wasn’t re-signed by them — so my career with them was over. The Giants called Lou Gorman and said, ‘Hey, we’re interested in Rick Miller.’ Gorman told them. ‘No, he retired.’ Well, I’d never retired. I just didn’t have a contract anymore.

“So I could have played in the National League, where you pinch-hit more, because pitchers are batting. I was 37 [years old], but I was a young 37. I didn’t have a lot of wear and tear on my body, because I didn’t play every day. For 15 years, I played probably two thirds of the time. Anyway, I happened to go to Phoenix that next spring training. I walked by Al Rosen and he goes, ‘Hey, Rick.’ He introduces himself — he was the GM of the Giants — and said they wanted to sign me, but were told I’d retired. As soon as I heard that, I was, ‘What?’”

Laurila: Why did Gorman tell him you’d retired?

Miller: “I don’t know. I have no idea. I mean, I asked him… my last year with the Red Sox, John McNamara was the manager. I guess he didn’t like me at all. He wanted to get rid of me in spring training. But I think there was an injury to one of our pitchers, Bruce Kison, so I stayed on the team. [Walpole Joe] Morgan went to him and said, ‘If you get rid of Miller, who is going to pinch-hit and be your fourth outfielder?’ Or your fifth outfielder. Whatever. So he kept me on the team. Then, when Kison came off the DL, someone else went on the DL. I stayed, but only got up to the plate something like 45 or 50 times all year.”

Laurila: Why didn’t McNamara like you?

Miller: “I have no idea on that, either. I’ve always wanted to ask him. He was a coach for the Angels when I was with the Angels. When I came back [to the Red Sox], Ralph Houk was the manager. Then McNamara came there in ’85 and wanted to get rid of me. Ironically, when he got introduced as manager, I was the only player that showed up for his press conference.”

Laurila: It sounds like your career had some negatives to go with the positives.

Miller: “Well, this was just at the end of my career. I was a little sour about that. My last year, we were out of the pennant race. Toronto was in it, and some other teams were as well. In September, the roster expands to 40 guys, right? So I said to Lou, ‘Look, I’m not playing, and I know I’m not going to be here next year, so release me. You’ll be doing me a favor, and you’ll be doing yourself a favor because you won’t have to pay me for the last month.’ He wouldn’t do it.

“Toronto was looking for a guy like me. Fourth outfielder. Pinch hitter. I don’t think they went to the World Series in ’85, but they were in the mix. They were fighting for it. And Lou wouldn’t do it. I was pissed. There was no reason for me to be on that team. We were out of the pennant race the whole month of September, and I sat on my ass, collecting dust.”

Laurila: And you never got another opportunity after that.

Miller: “No, and I maybe could have played another two or three years, because I
didn’t have a lot of miles on me. But it didn’t happen.”





David Laurila grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass. He authored the Prospectus Q&A series at Baseball Prospectus from December 2006-May 2011 before being claimed off waivers by FanGraphs. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidLaurilaQA.

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PC1970
4 years ago

My one memory of Rick Miller- When he was on The Angels, he was playing CF in a game where Nolan Ryan was trying to get a no-hitter..maybe, the no-hitter that would give him the all-time record. Anyway, in like the 7th or 8th inning, a batter hit a liner to short center, Miller had to dive for it,but, it caromed off his glove. They almost always call it a hit, but, in this instance, they called it an error to preserve the no-no.

There was a minor brouhaha over that. Ryan ended up losing the no-hitter anyway (I think to Reggie Jackson single?), but, it was a weird situation.

emh1969
4 years ago
Reply to  PC1970

Holy crap, I came here to post the exact same thing!!! Can’t believe there’s someone else here who remembers that game.

And yes, I believe it was Jackson who broke up the no-no with a single between second and short. Also. I remember the announcers trying to justify the error because Miller was a Gold Glover.

emh1969
4 years ago
Reply to  emh1969

Here’s the boxscore to the game. Angels actually committed 3 errors in the game though I don’t remember the others being controversial.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL197907130.shtml

PC1970
3 years ago
Reply to  emh1969

IIRC, that game was on “Monday Night Baseball” with Howard Cosell as the announcer. Can’t remember the color commentators. Though now that I look at it, it was a Friday Night game. Hmm..

Before the days of cable & then local RSN’s showing every game, we had to catch the games when we could. & Monday Night Baseball, the NBC Saturday Afternoon game (with Garagiola & Tony Kubek), the occ’l Thursday Night game were what we got.