Rich Miller (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Richard Edwin Miller, Jr. (born September 4, 1951, at Lebanon, Pennsylvania
) is an American
minor league baseball
outfielder
, manager
, scout and coach
. He is known in baseball as Rich Miller and is not to be confused with Richard Alan "Rick" Miller, an outfielder who played with the Boston Red Sox
and California Angels
of Major League Baseball
between 1971 and 1985.
Rich Miller spent his playing career in the New York Mets
organization. He graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School
and West Chester State College
, where he earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. He was the Mets' sixth pick in the 1973 June amateur draft. As a player, he stood 5 feet, 9 inches (1.75 m) tall, weighed 170 pounds (77 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed. While he never played Major League Baseball, he reached the highest level of the New York farm system, spending 2½ seaons with the Triple-A Tidewater Tides of the International League
from 1976-78. In 1977 Miller led the team in hitting with a .284 batting average
. During his eight-year minor league career, Miller batted .258 with 28 home runs.
Miller was a player-coach for the Jackson Mets
of the Texas League
in 1979-80, then turned his hand to fulltime coaching, scouting and managing in the Mets' system. After a stint as a manager in Short Season-A and Class A ball, he spent 13 seasons as the Mets' roving minor league outfield and baserunning instructor. During his last three seasons with the Mets (2001-03), he also served as assistant field coordinator. After 31 years with the Mets, he joined the Rochester Red Wings
, the Minnesota Twins
' Triple-A affiliate, as a coach in 2004. On April 21, 2005, he took over as interim manager when Wings' skipper Phil Roof
took a leave of absence to be with his wife, who was battling cancer. Rochester went 69-62 under Miller's guidance the rest of the season. He returned to his former post as a Rochester coach until the 2008 season, when he was promoted to roving outfield, baserunning and bunting instructor for the Twins' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He began the baseball season as the hitting coach with the Twins' Single-A Midwest League
affiliate, the Beloit Snappers
, and was promoted to the same job with Rochester in July 2009.
In November 2009, Miller was named roving minor league outfield and baserunning coach by the Toronto Blue Jays
.
In 1989 Miller was inducted into the West Chester College Baseball Hall of Fame, which has since become the West Chester University Sports Hall of Fame. 1993 brought Miller's induction into the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,477 at the 2010 census, a 4.2% increase from the 2000 count of 24,461...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
, scout and coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
. He is known in baseball as Rich Miller and is not to be confused with Richard Alan "Rick" Miller, an outfielder who played with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
and California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
between 1971 and 1985.
Rich Miller spent his playing career in the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
organization. He graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School
Lebanon Catholic High School
Lebanon Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg.-Background:...
and West Chester State College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, about miles west of Philadelphia. It is one of the 14 state universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education . West Chester was ranked 69th in the Master's Universities ...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. He was the Mets' sixth pick in the 1973 June amateur draft. As a player, he stood 5 feet, 9 inches (1.75 m) tall, weighed 170 pounds (77 kg), batted left-handed and threw right-handed. While he never played Major League Baseball, he reached the highest level of the New York farm system, spending 2½ seaons with the Triple-A Tidewater Tides of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
from 1976-78. In 1977 Miller led the team in hitting with a .284 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. During his eight-year minor league career, Miller batted .258 with 28 home runs.
Miller was a player-coach for the Jackson Mets
Jackson Mets
The Jackson Mets were a professional baseball team based in Jackson, Mississippi, from 1975 through 1990. As of 2010, they are the longest-tenured club to be based in the Jackson metropolitan area...
of the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
in 1979-80, then turned his hand to fulltime coaching, scouting and managing in the Mets' system. After a stint as a manager in Short Season-A and Class A ball, he spent 13 seasons as the Mets' roving minor league outfield and baserunning instructor. During his last three seasons with the Mets (2001-03), he also served as assistant field coordinator. After 31 years with the Mets, he joined the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
, the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
' Triple-A affiliate, as a coach in 2004. On April 21, 2005, he took over as interim manager when Wings' skipper Phil Roof
Phil Roof
Phillip Anthony Roof is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played for 15 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball in and from to , most notably for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins...
took a leave of absence to be with his wife, who was battling cancer. Rochester went 69-62 under Miller's guidance the rest of the season. He returned to his former post as a Rochester coach until the 2008 season, when he was promoted to roving outfield, baserunning and bunting instructor for the Twins' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He began the baseball season as the hitting coach with the Twins' Single-A Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
affiliate, the Beloit Snappers
Beloit Snappers
The Beloit Snappers are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, that plays in the Midwest League.Beloit joined the Midwest League as an expansion franchise in 1982. They were a Milwaukee Brewers farm team from its beginning through 2004; they switched to the...
, and was promoted to the same job with Rochester in July 2009.
In November 2009, Miller was named roving minor league outfield and baserunning coach by the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
.
In 1989 Miller was inducted into the West Chester College Baseball Hall of Fame, which has since become the West Chester University Sports Hall of Fame. 1993 brought Miller's induction into the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.