Sam Miller ESPN archive

Photo: Danielle Joy, via theonlyruleisithastowork.com

If you enjoy whimsy, Mike Trout, and thinking about baseball in a completely different way, then you’ll like baseball writer Sam Miller, who wrote for ESPN from 2016 to 2020.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find Miller’s articles. ESPN doesn’t maintain an archive page for any of its writers. So, I created an archive for Miller.

Please share this page on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit. I post the links to each story Miller and Zach Lowe write for ESPN, so subscribe to No High Ball on WordPress to get an email when their new stuff goes live. To subscribe as an RSS feed, use this URL: https://nohighball.wordpress.com/feed/.

2020

December
12/4: How the Philadelphia Phillies botched their rebuild — and what it tells us about tanking

November
11/25: Why everybody should vote Andy Pettitte into the Hall of Fame
11/20: Think catching a foul ball is hard? How 2020 taught us it’s even tougher than we thought
11/5: One great 2020 moment for all 30 MLB teams

October
10/22 (roundtable): World Series 2020: ‘Travel day’ roundtable — everything we learned in Games 1 and 2
10/20: World Series 2020: Ranking all 56 players in the Los Angeles Dodgers-Tampa Bay Rays Fall Classic
10/13: MLB playoffs 2020: Ranking 35 trades that shaped the Rays, Astros, Dodgers and Braves
10/6: Blowouts, comebacks and chaos: The six types of games in the MLB playoffs

September
9/26: Mike Trout tracker, Mr. October edition: Would he trade careers with Reggie Jackson?
9/24: How empty ballparks would have changed MLB history — and could alter games this October
9/11: Fernando Tatis Jr. and MLB’s 100 most entertaining players
9/1: Mike Trout tracker: He’s now better than two more Hall of Famers

August
8/20: 20 ways MLB in 2020 is like nothing we’ve ever seen before
8/19: Is your favorite MLB team cursed?
8/10: 25 years ago tonight, MLB had its last forfeit

July
7/30: MLB’s new extra-innings rule is here and — surprise! — it’s glorious
7/27: Win the World Series? Maybe! What 2020 could bring for all 30 MLB teams
7/23: Previously on MLB: A newbie’s guide to watching baseball in 2020
7/20: What we lose when we can’t boo the Astros on Opening Day
7/4: 25 years ago, Mariano Rivera made the one great start — yes, start — of his Hall of Fame career

June
6/4: Bonds, balks and umps packing heat: Here’s what ‘this day in MLB history’ leaves out

May
5/18: Hunches, home runs and humiliation: Nine tales of unsung World Series heroes
5/4: Ranking every World Series in MLB history

April
4/30: Is the Astros’ title tarnished? Is Jeter overrated? We settle the biggest debate for all 30 MLB teams
4/29: Happy 59th! Or is it 58th? Cracking the mystery of Don Mattingly’s birthday
4/11: Why Runs/Hits/Errors should no longer define baseball … but still does
4/4: We’ll miss MLB’s London Series, which gave us the weirdest game of 2019
4/2: The most meme-worthy moments ever for all 30 MLB teams

March
3/5: Remember when tanking ruled MLB? Those days might be over

February
2/27: What if Mike Trout had been on the 2017 Houston Astros? It could have happened
2/18: What Ken Griffey Jr. trade teaches us about scouting Lindor, Arenado and Bryant
2/11: Love it or hate it? The proposal to shake up the MLB playoffs (Roundtable)
2/6: They secretly replaced Yankee Stadium … and other lies we can prove using real stats

2019

December
12/30: Best team. Best moment. Best brawl? Handing out our MLB end-of-decade awards
12/27: The year that … : What baseball in 2019 will be remembered for forever
12/24: Mickey Mantle cried after strikeouts and 8 other surprising things I learned this year
12/17: The end of the lefty specialist? Why MLB’s three-batter rule might not mean what you think
12/10: Cracking the code: Why signing free agents is paying off like never before
12/5: How is WAR calculated, really? Breaking down a single play to find out

November
11/19: The MLB genie: One wish for fans of all 30 teams … with a catch
11/6: The good, the bad … and the Tigers: Ranking all 30 MLB teams based on their 2019 goals
11/1: Why did those World Series games last so long?

October
10/31: How will the 2019 Washington Nationals be remembered? As giant slayers
10/22: Ranking all 50 players in the Astros-Nationals World Series
10/18: How the new dead ball is faking out players, fans and even cameramen
10/4: Your ultimate guide to MLB’s October bullpens: Stars, surprises, rankings and more

September
9/24: The five games that swung MLB’s wild wild-card races
9/20: One way the Dodgers are better built for October than the Astros — and everyone else
9/13: How many bad teams would it take to beat the Astros, Dodgers or Yankees?
9/10: The Pedro Game turns 20. Yes, THAT Pedro Game
9/5: What is the greatest collection of talent ever on one roster?
9/4: Mike Trout tracker, Derek Jeter edition: He’s now better than The Captain
9/2: How Christian Yelich turned himself into an MVP

August
8/28: The six must-see MLB games of the next 5,000 years
8/20: The plucky underdog story of the year? The Yankees, of course!
8/14: Is Bryce a bust? Not if you take Harper’s word for it
8/1: Mike Trout tracker, July edition: He’s now better than eight more Hall of Famers

July
7/29: Hey, bubble teams: How much is a wild-card spot worth?
7/18: Why Mariano Rivera is two Hall of Famers in one
7/11: Fernando Tatis Jr. and MLB’s Most Exciting Player every year since he was born
7/5: How the Home Run Derby became America’s national pastime*
7/2: Mike Trout tracker, June edition: He’s now better than Tony Gwynn and seven more Hall of Famers

June
6/29: Even for homer-happy 2019, offense is out of control at Coors Field
6/12: Can you see a pitcher’s fastest fastball coming? Prove it!
6/5: Mike Trout tracker, May edition: He’s now better than three more Hall of Famers

May
5/30: How Cody Bellinger could have the best season in MLB history
5/29: Introducing a new kind of no-hitter
5/23: Christian Yelich and reimagining the ‘five-tool player’ in 2019
5/21: Why PECOTA projections were so wrong about the Cubs
5/13: Casey Mize, Vlad Jr. and the craziest minor league stats ever
5/7: The state of closers, bullpenning and April’s best reliever you’d never heard of
5/3: What Noah Syndergaard did is so rare — it deserves its own name
5/1: How many Hall of Famers did Mike Trout pass in April?

April
4/26: Greatest catch ever? Re-creating Kevin Mitchell’s epic bare-handed grab
4/22: How Christian Yelich became a future Hall of Famer in 400 plate appearances
4/16: Disappearing triples! Imploding bullpens! How baseball is different in 2019
4/11: When a position player pitching faces a pitcher hitting — who wins?
4/8: The Book of Jobu: How ‘Major League’ predicted the future
4/2: The truth hurts! Realistic 2019 goals for all 30 MLB teams

March
3/28: Predictions, inside info and fun facts: The only Opening Day preview you need
3/22: Will pitchers bring the most heat ever in 2019? Not so fast
3/21: How many complete games will be thrown in 2019? Thirty? Ten? None?
3/20: MLB’s David vs. Goliath: Will Daniel Descalso outhit Giancarlo Stanton this year?
3/20: A $430M bargain? Why Mike Trout might be worth a billion dollars
3/19: Which of baseball’s most unbreakable records might actually get broken in 2019?
3/18: MLB Mad Libs: Well, Suzyn, now you CAN predict baseball!
3/1: Baseball’s LeBron? How we were right — and wrong — about $330M man Bryce Harper

February
2/27: Lies, damn lies, and projections
2/8: J.T. Realmuto deal continues stunningly sad Marlins tradition
2/6: Welcome to a small-market team’s worst nightmare

January
1/23: Why a unanimous Hall of Famer is great for baseball
1/7: Baseball’s black holes: The worst team at every position

2018

December
12/27: The Year That … : What we’d bet baseball in 2018 will be remembered for forever
12/14: You might be a better hitter than these five pitchers
12/12: Dominant 20: Why Mike Trout was still the toughest out in baseball in 2018
12/6: Is third base passing first base as baseball’s power position?
12/4: Young players have officially taken over Major League Baseball

November
11/28: Starlin Castro, a cup of beer and the most impressive at-bat of 2018
11/20: ‘I won’t throw it there again’: What we learned from MLB’s most wicked comebackers of 2018
11/13: Why are baseball managers so short?
11/5: The good, the bad … and the O’s: Ranking all 30 teams based on their 2018 goals
11/1: Roundtable: How will we remember the 2018 World Series and more?

October
10/29: Red Sox starters won the World Series — from the bullpen
10/24: Bedtime! What Game 1 looked like to kids across four time zones
10/22: Two sentences about each of the 50 players in the World Series
10/19: The unlucky legacy of the 2018 Houston Astros
10/16: We dare you not to walk Alex Bregman
10/12: How the dominant Brewers bullpen came together
10/11: What if Eduardo Nunez had been playing back one more foot …
10/4: A brief history of bullpenning
10/2: Pickoffs, pinch-hits and power: All of the things each playoff team does best

September
9/27: MLB Season 116 recap: Things you’d never have believed … until now
9/26: He’s not Babe Ruth. So after his rookie year, who is Shohei Ohtani?
9/20: Who needs October? The best moment for each out-of-it MLB team
9/19: Why aren’t the Dodgers even better?
9/8: When using the on-deck circle makes absolutely no sense
9/5: Why almost every MLB game begins with a fastball

August
8/30: The hardest thing to do in sports? Trying to hit Ryne Stanek down 0-2
8/28: From 6-4-3 to 1-2-3: Ranking the 17 types of double plays
8/23: The 20 rules for creating an MLB nickname (and what yours would be)
8/15: Are position players actually good pitchers? Yes — and definitely no
8/9: Delmon Young Trade Tree: How to flip a bust for 15 years of talent
8/7: MLB myth-buster: The shift isn’t curbing runs, it’s creating them

July
7/26: Bartolo Colon, Hall of Famer? Maybe it’s not so crazy
7/24: How beating up teammates became the go-to walk-off celebration
7/19: Winning isn’t the only thing: Realistic second-half goals for all 30 teams
7/16: The Home Run Derby and the beauty of baseball that doesn’t count
7/5: Mike Trout and Mookie Betts have opposite approaches — and both are perfect

June
6/28: Bunting is hard. Matt Harvey makes it look nearly impossible
6/27: What happens as baseball players age?
6/26: Don’t bunt on Greinke! At one small skill, he’s the world’s best
6/19: How Mike Trout stacks up to MLB’s greats as he closes in on 1,000 games
6/18: The value of four-homer games — and other wild nights
6/14: Cleveland’s bullpen proves the baseball gods are cruel
6/13: Star-studded roundtable: Revisiting award predictions and more

May
5/30: Yes, he’s amazing — but Mookie Betts still isn’t Mike Trout
5/22: The Shohei Ohtani experiment isn’t just working — it’s been perfect
5/17: Mike Trout is on pace for the greatest season in MLB history
5/15: ‘Pop’ science: Your guide to learning a new MLB stat
5/9: Why a 21-K game is MLB’s best record that can actually happen
5/4: Radical Ideas Series: What if MLB teams could bid for more home games?
5/2: Radical Ideas Series: What if MLB players were paid on commission?

April
4/30: Radical Ideas Series: What if every MLB team made the playoffs?
4/26: Roundtable chat: Here’s what four weeks of baseball have told us
4/24: Two thumbs up! Belt’s 21-pitch at-bat a triumph of cinema
4/23: No-hitters like Sean Manaea’s will become rarer and rarer
4/19: Three wild ways baseball in 2018 is unlike ever before
4/11: Your New Favorite Reliever Power Rankings: Eight guys to love you’ve never heard of
4/3: What have we learned about Shohei Ohtani so far?
4/3: Should Shohei Ohtani stay a two-way player? The Red Sox faced the same question with Babe Ruth 100 years ago
4/2: Brian Dozier whining about a bunt is all about trying to gain an edge

March
3/27: 2018 goals for all 30 teams: From getting to the World Series … to just getting someone to care
3/23: In 2018, what is a win? A shift in philosophy has changed MLB forever
3/21: Fun fact faceoff: Why 2018 could be monumental for Mike Trout
3/13: Which team would be MLB’s best if every player were in his prime?

February
2/28: Baseball gods or merely human? Four stars projections can’t predict
2/22: Rooting for laundry isn’t a joke — it’s why baseball works
2/21: When will Tim Tebow make the majors? A chat with David Schoenfield
2/17: Three outside-the-box answers to baseball’s extra-innings issue
2/15: How much embarrassment would you be willing to endure to play major league baseball?
2/8: Why no one will hit .400 ever again

January
1/31: The bunt base hit is dead. (Long live the bunt base hit!)
1/29: Pitch clocks, pace of play and robo-umps: Who should decide what’s best for baseball?
1/26: Just how bad is having the worst farm system in baseball, really?
1/17: Apologists vs. Deniers: What voting—or not voting—for Bonds and Clemens says about you
1/10: Slow MLB offseason? Blame Mike Trout!
1/9: What would happen if a baseball game went 50 innings?

2017

December
12/29: The Year That … : 2017 will be remembered as an MLB season both big and small
12/28: The Year That … : Finding the single memory that defines each baseball season since 1903
12/18: Kenley Jansen vs. Nick Hundley: Inside the biggest mismatch in pro sports
12/15: Cold stove: The four teams no one talked about at the winter meetings
12/11: Shohei Ohtani choosing Angels says a lot about the power of MLB — and Mike Trout
12/6: Which Shohei Ohtani is the most fun Shohei Ohtani?

November
11/30: Do players deserve a fist bump for an intentional walk?
11/28: Was Julio Teheran any good this year? WAR says yes, no … and maybe
11/23: Who, me?! Why your team’s next closer will probably be a total surprise — even to him
11/8: Halladay an example for a generation of pitchers
11/7: The good, the bad … and the Giants: Ranking all 30 teams based on their 2017 goals
11/3: How the Astros won a World Series by betting on the ability to predict baseball
11/1: Managing Game 7 is the most difficult coaching job in sports

October
10/31: Should it stay or should it go? Ranking the best deep fly outs of the playoffs
10/26: 11 World Series home runs, 11 bad pitches? Making sense of the home run-happy World Series
10/23: Why the dominant Dodgers are actually World Series underdogs
10/21: Three-and-uh-oh! How Astros pitchers stared down three terrifying 3-0 counts
10/16: When it comes to closers, when will managers learn?
10/13: Max Scherzer’s unbelievable, impossible, unprecedented loss
10/12: How nobody — even the Indians — believed Dan Otero was that good
10/11: The path to 27 outs: Why pitch counts matter again in October
10/5: ‘Somebody’s gonna lose’: Predicting which player is doomed to make the last out of the World Series
10/4: Joe Girardi’s quick thinking, hook pay off
10/1: From the brilliant to the bland, grading every playoff team’s meme

September
9/29: Shortstops are toying with Albert Pujols, and other Statcast lessons
9/28: MLB Season 115 recap: We counted 27 head-scratching plot holes
9/25: What has changed for the Dodgers and Indians? Nothing — and everything
9/21: The National League stinks
9/19: Welcome to the era of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad 30-home-run hitter
9/15: This is going to be the wildest October in history
9/12: Clayton Kershaw and the thin line between one bad start and a catastrophe
9/8: Why isn’t every starting pitcher turning into Alex Wood?
9/5: The unlikely story of how No. 762 became Barry Bonds’ final home run

August
8/27: How many injuries would it take to endanger the Nationals’ lead?
8/24: Stop everything you’re doing and watch Andrelton Simmons
8/22: 73! 61! 37?! What’s the real home run record, anyway?
8/17: ‘Skunk in the outfield’: How the most epic trick play in history broke baseball
8/16: A sign of MLB’s future? Why the Cubs’ 4-man outfield matters
8/15: Why MLB games are FIVE MINUTES longer this season
8/11: What does Jeffrey Loria get for mishandling Marlins? Pure profit
8/8: Why we should all root for an Astros-Dodgers World Series
8/4: For the same two minutes every game, Yu Darvish is an awful pitcher
8/3: Use it or lose it: Are managers making the most out of their instant replay challenges?

July
7/27: Dear 1987, you’re not going to believe what has happened to baseball
7/26: Winners? Losers? At baseball’s bonkers trade deadline, nobody really knows
7/21: Dig the long ball? Here’s why home run highlight videos are the worst
7/19: From the 10th until it mercifully ends: How each extra inning is completely different
7/12: Who says there’s no mystery anymore? Ranking the best matchups from the All-Star Game
7/12: Which outfield would shag more flies: One Byron Buxton or 25 Home Run Derby kids?

June
6/30: Why the A’s will never be the Astros
6/29: MLBRank: Don’t blink, or you’ll miss Sam Miller’s up-to-the-minute Top 10
6/28: June 22 was a danged interesting day to be watching baseball
6/22: What if Cody Bellinger is going to hit 763 home runs and we just don’t know it yet?
6/21: Baseball’s numbers revolution is spreading to Latin America
6/15: Shohei Ohtani and why being Babe Ruth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
6/13: Single-A to The Show? Padres turn Petco Park into a science lab
6/9: Fifteen years after Moneyball, are fat, short players any more likely to be drafted?
6/8: Dear Bryce Harper, my dude: What were you thinking?!
6/6: Major league litter: Can a strategic bat toss turn trash into treasure?

May
5/31: Still the god of WAR? Don’t doubt Mike Trout
5/25: Is it time for teams to treat Mike Trout like Barry Bonds?
5/24: For Jered Weaver, end coming not with a bang but with a whimper
5/19: State of the Bullpen in 2017: All 30 teams, ordered by loyalty to convention so far
5/16: The 10-day DL and the starting pitcher apocalypse
5/12: Mike Trout’s climb to the top of the WAR leaderboard
5/11: Juice the ball. Or don’t juice it. Just tell us!
5/5: Baseball without injured aces? Be careful what you wish for

April
4/29: Danny Salazar is finally becoming an ace. Sound familiar?
4/27: Moneyball? Try Powerball. Even the A’s are swinging away
4/26: Meet the cast of the Chris Coghlan slide
4/20: Shhh! Don’t tell anyone, but baseball is changing
4/19: ‘Roids to ruin? Turns out, PED punishments aren’t a deterrent
4/18: What is the new .300? How to read a 21st century baseball card
4/14: MLB fan survey says … baseball actually ISN’T boring and your team is really awesome
4/13: Mighty Mites are taking over baseball!
4/11: It’s a new year — and Joey Votto has come out swinging
4/7: How good of a hitter is Madison Bumgarner, really?
4/6: How to enjoy baseball
4/4: The 65-win Cubs?!? Tales from MLB’s 2017 alternative timelines

March
3/30: Forget the ninth inning — Andrew Miller is here to save the game
3/29: How to keep baseball from being boring: A 50-year plan
3/27: Barry Bonds, Pac-Man and the greatest baseball fun fact of all time
3/20: From ‘insult’ to injury, what can Angels expect from Albert Pujols?
3/10: Advantage: Tim Tebow? Bizarre batting behavior made us wonder

February
2/27: How the overachieving O’s keep trumping the projections
2/20: In a world without stats, who’d be baseball’s best player?
2/7: What is PECOTA, and should you hate it?
2/6: Robert Gsellman had a secret: He couldn’t swing

January
1/31: Victor Martinez: Worst. Baserunner. Ever?
1/24: Show me the mind games! Mutual options not about the money
1/23: The hardest pitch Yordano Ventura ever threw
1/20: As snubs show, WAR won’t carry you to Cooperstown
1/12: Has anyone had a crazier career path than Rich Hill? Maybe
1/11: Nobody hits ’em where they ain’t like Mike Trout

2016

December
12/28: Masterpiece Fall Classic: Inside the greatest game ever
12/19: What’s a closer worth? Well … that’s complicated
12/14: The Pirates’ Josh Harrison is the king of the pickle
12/7: The Pirates and Andrew McCutchen: In baseball, player loyalty doesn’t pay
12/6: Home field in the World Series does matter, just not when you think

November
11/27: Investigating baseball’s ultimate feat of the improbable — the walk-off triple
11/23: Going to WAR: The mystery of Robbie Ray
11/18: Does Mike Trout’s MVP win answer who’s most valuable?
11/17: Chris Davis’ drop-off not as sour as it seems
11/11: Desired dollars: Should we care what free agents are seeking?
11/6: Cubs win! Cubs won. Now what do we stay alive for?
11/3: Baseball’s little miracles: From the late rounds to Game 7

October
10/31: Aroldis’ entrance: The moment this World Series got interesting
10/28: Cody Allen makes the Andrew Miller experiment possible
10/26: Is it possible that David Ross doesn’t know Corey Kluber?
10/24: Are statheads responsible for the most exciting postseason in years?
10/22: Why NLCS Game 6 comes down to one thing — Kershaw vs. Rizzo
10/20: Putting Yasmani Grandal’s value in the proper frame
10/18: Surprise! Aroldis Chapman isn’t as unhittable as you think
10/7: How to appreciate the Cubs’ defense from your couch
10/5: Out-by-out examination: When Buck should have used Britton

ESPN The Magazine

2016
3/18: Scott Boras (of all people!) is a hero to young pitchers with injured arms

2015
5/19: Why Tommy John surgeries won’t cease any time soon

2014
2/18: Los Angeles Angels will try anything to fix the worst franchise in MLB

2013
10/4: Oakland Athletics success due to player chemistry not metrics
2/19: Why Wins Above Replacement is MLB’s next big all-encompassing stat
1/23: Chicago White Sox Philip Humber knows the curse of perfection

2012
9/20: Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout is a phenom, but will it last?
7/18: Transforming failed position prospects into dominant relief pitchers is baseball’s newest trend