UNC Great Andrew Miller Retires After 16 MLB Seasons
The former Tar Heel was a two-time All-Star, dominant postseason reliever
One of the greatest players in North Carolina baseball history is calling it a career after 16 Major League seasons.
Andrew Miller, who starred for the Tar Heels from 2004-06 and was one of the best pitchers in MLB in his prime, announced his decision to retire at the age of 36 on Thursday, confirming the news to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch.
“I feel very fortunate that my career worked out the way that it did,” Miller wrote in a text to Goold. “Of course there were tough stretches, injuries, and times of doubt. I also won’t deny that I can find myself in moments of wondering what if this or that had happened differently, could it have somehow been better? I’m usually pretty quick to be able to step back though and see how lucky I have been. The hard times were necessary for me to grow and to be able to appreciate the highs along the way. Ultimately, I was able to play for many great franchises, wear historic uniforms, and play in some amazing ballparks.”
Drafted by the then-Tamp Bay Devil Rays out of Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida in 2003, Miller turned down a sizable signing bonus to play for the Tar Heels. As a freshman in 2004, the lefty went 6-3 with a 2.93 ERA and 88 strikeouts across 89 innings. He then went 8-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 96 2/3 innings in a sophomore season in which he cemented himself as the team’s Friday starter.
As good as he was his first two years at UNC, Miller was exceptional in his third and final season, helping the 2006 team to a runner-up finish at the College World Series. In going 13-2 with a 2.48 ERA over 123 1/3 innings, he was named Baseball America’s National Player of the Year and the Roger Clemens Award winner. His 133 strikeouts that season as well as his 325 career strikeouts are still the most by any Tar Heel.
In January 2016, Miller became the third player in UNC history to have his number retired during a ceremony at the Smith Center.
In June 2006, the Detroit Tigers selected Miller with the sixth overall pick of the MLB Draft. He went on to make his Major League debut against the New York Yankees just two months later, on Aug. 30, 2006. After posting a 5.63 ERA in 13 starts for the Tigers in 2007, he was dealt to the then-Florida Marlins as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit.
Miller struggled to find consistency and success over three injury-plagued seasons in Florida, and in November 2010, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. Boston granted him free agency less than a month later, but he ultimately re-signed with the club, with which he finally began to blossom as a reliever in 2012.
From 2013-17, Miller recorded a 1.82 ERA, 41.1% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate in 291 2/3 innings with the Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Yankees and Cleveland Indians. In that span, he was named to two American League All-Star teams and earned two two top-10 Cy Young Award finishes. He also established himself one of the game’s best postseason performers.
Miller retires with a measly 0.93 ERA over 38 2/3 innings in 29 playoff games. His 2016 postseason was particularly memorable, as he not only helped Cleveland reach the World Series, but also took home ALCS MVP honors and set playoff records for a reliever for innings (19 1/3) and strikeouts (30).
Although Miller’s performance took a step back in his final three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he logged a 4.34 ERA in 103 2/3 innings, he still excelled in October. Across 5 2/3 innings and seven postseason games with the Cardinals, he didn’t allow a single run.
Miller retires with a 4.03 ERA, 979 strikeouts and 63 saves over 829 career innings. As much as he accomplished on the field, his career will also be defined by his work with the MLB Players Association. As a member of the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee, he was one of the union's top representatives in helping negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the owners this offseason.
“The list of people who took me aside, put their arm around me, made me laugh when I needed to, or taught me something is endless,” Miller wrote in a text to Goold. “It’s safe to say I would have been faced with the next chapter much earlier on if it weren’t for them. As someone who thought their career was practically over in 2010, to be able to experience everything I did along the way is incredible. You shouldn’t ever hear complaints from me. It was a heck of a run.”