Spencer
Miles

MLB Draft Combine: Full, over the head delivery. Lands sl open. Quick arm. FB 95-97 with spin in the 2400 rpm range. Hard arm side bore. Firm CH 87-89. CB 77-78. Upper 80s SL.

Draft-eligible by age for the 2021 draft, Miles was a top five round prospect in our rankings entering last season. However, he struggled for the Tigers with a 7.01 ERA and a .298 OPP AVG and headed to the Cape to showcase a velocity increase that he found late in the spring – his sinker sat in the mid-90s and his heater peaked at 97 mph. He also showed a 77-81 slider with more sweep than tilt. Miles left the Cape in mid-July due to an innings limit, but before he did he accumulated 24 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA in 17.2 IP. Now fast forward to this spring and his latest start against Tennessee. Miles competed in the wind, rain and cold against the No. 1 team in the country with a low-spin fastball that topped at 96 and sat 91-93 throughout his 72-pitch start. He kept his sinker (1900-2100 rpm) down in the zone which resulted in seven groundouts, four strikeouts and just two fly outs against a team that relentlessly tried to elevate.

Cape Cod- A 2021 draft-eligible prospect by age, the 2YR FR was looking for top three round bonus money, but went unselected this past July. Instead he headed to the Cape to showcase a velocity increase that he found late in the spring. Working out of the pen, his turbo sinker now sits in the mid-90s and his heater peaks at 97 mph. He also showed a 77-81 slider with more sweep than tilt. Miles left the Cape in mid-July due to an innings limit, but before he did he accumulated 24 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA in 17.2 IP. A top five round prospect on our list entering the 2021 season, Miles struggled for the Tigers with a 7.01 ERA and a .298 OPP AVG this past spring. However, he now looks like an early Day Two arm for 2022. For more on Miles, here's what we wrote last fall from a Mizzou fall scrimmage (The Scouting Trail: Midwest Nuggets) and more recently from the 2021 spring season (The Scouting Trail: Breaking Down Frisco Classic Prospects).

A second year freshman who is draft eligible by age, Miles took the mound for a Friday night start against Dallas Baptist. Previously seen last fall during a Mizzou intrasquad I noted at the time “plus command of a sinker/slider arsenal...he will throw either pitch in any count...hard sinker arrives to the plate at 90-91 mph. It’s an under the bat, swing/miss pitch in the 1850-1950 rpm range...will also mix in a four-seamer up in the zone, topping at 92 with a 2150 spin rate...breaker is above average...high spinner (2700-2800+ rpm) with good tilt at 76-79 mph.” For those reasons his method of attack in Frisco was puzzling. His sinker was nowhere to be found. He instead featured a four-seam fastball in the 88-91 mph range and 2100-2280 rpm, two distinct breaking pitches (82-83 mph slider with a mid-2650 spin rate and a 78-79 mph curve spinning 2700+) and an occasional changeup. The command of his entire repertoire was not sharp (four walks) and DBU sent him to the showers after just 4.1 IP. What was highly perplexing is why he would pitch away from his strength (sinker). Regardless of the results during this look, Miles has a very bright future and remains a Day Two prospect for me. His athleticism, current stuff, projection and feel for pitching are just too good to push too far down my draft list.

Of all the Tiger arms that I saw, Miles stuck out as the top prospect. He’s a legitimate Friday night guy in the SEC with plus command of a sinker/slider arsenal. With an athletic body and loose arm he will throw either pitch in any count from a three-quarter release point. He’s able to expose hitters’ weaknesses, which will likely setup the remainder of the Mizzou staff for a weekend of success this spring. His hard sinker arrives to the plate at 90-91 mph. It’s an under the bat, swing/miss pitch in the 1850-1950 rpm range. He’s able to throw this pitch to either corner with late life. He will also mix in a four-seamer up in the zone, topping at 92 on this look with a 2150 spin rate. Miles’ breaker is an above average sweeping slider. It’s a high spinner (2700-2800+ rpm) with good tilt at 76-79 mph. Overall, Miles was super impressive on this look and his future looks even better. He should add weight to his current 6-foot-2, 170 pound frame which should lead to future velocity gains. He also fields his position with ease. Similar to Mann, Miles is a mid-Day Two prospect who could be considered in the top five rounds. He is sophomore eligible for the 2021 draft by age.