Mariners Season Preview: Wade Miley

Wade Miley brings consistency and durability to the Seattle Mariners starting rotation.

Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in December, Wade Miley is expected to immediately step into the third spot in the Seattle Mariners starting rotation this season. The M’s had to surrender Carson Smith and Roenis Elias to land Miley, and they are hopeful he will help stabilize what was a disappointing group of starters in 2015.

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Originally a first round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miley has been very successful during his first five seasons in the big leagues. He sports a career record of 49-46 with a 3.95 ERA across 138 appearances. Miley has struck out 646 hitters while walking 260 in 832.1 innings pitched. Miley has held the opposition to 1.334 walks/hits per inning.

The 29-year-old southpaw experienced his best season in 2012 as a member of the D-Backs. Miley went 16-11 with a 3.33 ERA through 32 appearances. He registered a 3.89 strikeout to walk ratio, and allowed just 1.182 walks/hits per inning. Miley represented Arizona at the All-Star Game, and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

The Good

Wade Miley has been remarkably durable throughout his Major League career. Since 2012, he has started at least 29 games every year. In fact, Miley has had a minimum of 32 outings in each of the last three seasons. He has broken the 200 inning threshold twice, and he has never pitched less than 193.2 innings in a single season. Miley will provide the Mariners’ bullpen with some much needed rest if he can pitch anywhere close to 200 innings this year.

Jun 5, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Wade Miley (20) delivers a pitch during the first inning of the game against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

The Southeastern Louisiana University alum does a great job of not beating himself. Miley is a blue collar pitcher, and will not overpower hitters. However, he also has excellent command of his pitches. Miley has issued just 2.8 walks per 9 innings over the course of his career. He also does a great job of keeping the ball in the yard, as he has allowed 0.9 home runs per 9 innings. This is particularly impressive when you consider he played his home games in the desert air at Chase Field for four seasons.

Miley possesses an impressive five-pitch arsenal. His stuff is slightly underwhelming, but he is able to throw all five of his pitches for strikes. Miley features a fastball that hovers in the 91 mph range. He leans heavily on his changeup and slider to get hitters out. Miley also mixes in a curveball, and he added a cutter to his repertoire last season.

The Bad

The Loranger, LA product is fresh off his worst season as a pro. He went 11-11 with a 4.46 ERA across 32 starts with the Red Sox in 2015. The most troubling aspect is that Miley has been steadily regressing ever since his breakout 2012 campaign. His record and ERA have gotten worse in each of the last three seasons. Combined, Miley has gone 29-33 with a 4.11 ERA in 98 starts the last three years.

Miley is not the kind of hurler who can rely solely on his stuff to get hitters out. His velocity was down on nearly all of his offerings last season, and that trend is likely to continue in 2016. Miley will likely have to take a page out of the Jamie Moyer handbook if he hopes to be successful this season with the Mariners. Attacking opposing hitters with a cerebral approach will be critical for Miley as he moves into his 30’s.

The Future

Baseball Reference and FanGraphs offer very similar projections for Miley in 2016. Baseball Reference is expecting the veteran left-hander to go 9-10 with a 4.27 ERA across 177 innings pitched. The mathematicians over at FanGraphs predict Miley will finish 10-11 with a 4.00 ERA in 29 starts.

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Miley has spent his first five seasons pitching from a disadvantage. Chase Field is one of the more hitter friendly ballparks in baseball, and he had to contend with Fenway Park in 2015. Safeco Field is known for being a pitchers best friend, and I have a feeling we could see Miley post career numbers this season.

Another attractive feature about Miley is his contract. He is owed just $6.167 million in 2016, and $15.08 million dollars over the next two seasons. Miley does have a $12 million dollar option built into his contract, but the Mariners can buy him out for $500,000. Those are very team friendly figures for a guy who will function as the number three pitcher in the rotation, and is capable of giving you 200 innings every year.

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Only time will tell if the Seattle Mariners gave up too much to acquire Wade Miley, but he should help the M’s win in the short-term. He is the perfect arm to bridge the gap between Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma and the younger pitchers competing for the final two spots. Miley’s debut season in the Emerald City will be considered a success if he can contribute double digit wins and pitch at least 180 innings.

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