Justin Miller became the second member of the Windy City ThunderBolts to be picked up by a Major League affiliate this week when his contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Miller had been in his second season with the ThunderBolts after joining the team in March of 2019. He was up and down in his initial campaign, posting a 1.02 ERA over his first nine appearances before finishing at 5.23.
He was off to a great start in 2021. In five appearances, he has a 0.90 ERA and hasn’t allowed a run since his season debut on May 29. In four of his five outings, he has lasted multiple innings and he has racked up multiple strikeouts three times. In his final Windy City appearance, Sunday afternoon against Gateway, he threw two shutout innings and struck out two Grizzlies.
For Miller, this will be the second stint in affiliated ball. He was a 12th round draft pick of the Phillies in 2016 and worked his way through the Philadelphia system for three years, rising as high as Class A Short Season in 2017.
Miller will be the third former ThunderBolt pitcher throwing in affiliated ball with one currently in the Major Leagues. He joins his ex-teammate Cole Bellair, who was signed by the Twins last week. This marks the 15th time in the last 16 seasons that the ThunderBolts have seen at least two players get signed by Major League organizations.
