Roger Miller

[Michael Trzinski]

One Roger Miller earned his chops as a country singer. Another Roger Miller was a guitarist for the band Mission of Burma. Our Roger Miller was a fireballing phenom who made steady progress through the minor leagues and pitched two games for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974 one month after his 20th birthday. After at least two arm issues in 1976 and 1977, he retired from baseball before the 1978 season. Sadly, he died at age 38 in an explosion that was caused by a leaking acetylene tank while welding.

Roger Wesley Miller was a baseball star as a youngster and high schooler in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He was drafted by the Brewers in the 15th round of the 1972 MLB Amateur Draft. Miller spent a season at Low-A Newark and despite an ERA of 5.49, was promoted to Single-A Danville in the Midwest League in 1973, where he posted a record of 8-4 with an ERA of 3.32. That earned him another promotion, this time to Triple-A Sacramento.

Despite giving up 26 homers, many of them at Sacramento's Hughes Stadium, which had a left field fence that was just 232 feet from home plate, Miller was named to the Pacific Coast League West All-Star team. In September, he was called up to the Brewers. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound righthander pitched in just two games, both against the Boston Red Sox. His major league totals show 2.1 innings, three hits, three runs, no walks and two strikeouts.

Miller pitched at Sacramento in 1975, missed 1976 due to arms injuries, and finished his career in 1977 at Triple-A Spokane, which was the new Brewers affiliate. After retirement in early 1978, Miller returned to Pennsylvania and worked with the local high school and American Legions teams until his death in 1993.

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