After the Cincinnati Reds’ win last night over the Milwaukee Brewers to tie the series, thanks to a spectacular game-saving robbed home run by TJ Friedl, news broke that Hunter Greene is injured.
Pitching five innings and exiting with a groin strain, Greene has been placed on the 15-day IL. Cincinnati, instead of promoting a prospect, has signed former Red Wade Miley. Here’s a look at what Miley brings to the table and how he can help this roster.
The first time Miley was with the Reds, his stats weren’t anything special, but his impact certainly was. Playing in Cincinnati in both 2021 and 2022, he had a 12-10 record and a 3.55 ERA. His main highlight, though, came in his second season with the team.
On May 7, 2021, Miley threw the 17th no-hitter in Red’s history in a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Despite Miley’s first tenure not being the most impactful in terms of wins, he has a chance to contribute to a Reds team with a higher ceiling.
Unlike the flame-slinging Greene that the Reds are now missing, Miley throws the ball much slower. He does offer a different kind of fast pitching, though.
Having a cutter, four-seam, change-up, sinker, curve, and slider in his toolbelt, Miley has enough pitches to keep an opposing lineup guessing all game. He throws slower than most, averaging 90.1 mph on his fastest pitch (four-seam), but also has a wide range with his slowest pitch averaging 75.2 mph (curve).
Miley uses his cutter by far the most (38%), followed by his four-seam (21%) and change-up (20%). His sinker is the final piece of his usuals, having a 15 USG%, and he also sprinkles in the curve and slider (both at 3.0 USG%, respectively) to keep things interesting. Regardless of how hard he throws, that kind of range in speed is difficult to adjust to on a pitch-to-pitch basis.
Miley is also known as one of the fastest-working pitchers in the entire league, leaving batters barely enough time to take a breath before he’s reloaded and winding up his next pitch. That, combined with his deep bag of tricks, can make him an incredibly tough pitcher to get a read on.
Despite Miley not offering the same skill set or ceiling as Greene, he still has a chance to be something this team desperately needs. That being a starter-quality pitcher while Greene is out, and a reliable arm in the bullpen when he’s back.
Miley’s play style could also help to make this team more dynamic, as no one else on the current roster plays the way he does. Whether he’s starting on the mound or coming out of the bullpen, Miley has a chance to help this Reds team turn its season around.
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