Craig Counsell’s Old Friend Joins Stockpile of Cubs Depth Options
When I first saw Owen Miller’s name pop up in Cubs news today I confused him with previous Cubs minor leaguer Ian Miller. That actually brought back nice memories from 2020 spring training, before the world shut down, when Ian was on fire in Cactus League play, and was potentially working up the depth chart for the Cubs heading into the season. Anyway, Owen Miller has signed a minor league deal and he’ll be reunited with his former manager Craig Counsell.
Miller, 29, began his pro career with the San Diego Padres, who drafted him in the third round back in 2016. The right-handed hitter was an All-Star at Double-A in the 2019 season and was then part of a big, nine-player trade between the Padres and Cleveland Guardians in 2020.
He made his MLB debut in 2021, and the following year Miller was given his biggest chance in the majors to earn a permanent role. Unfortunately, Miller couldn’t take full advantage as he posted a .652 OPS in 472 plate appearances. The Guardians traded Miller to the Brewers following the 2022 season and it was in 2023, when Miller had his best showing in the majors.
In Counsell’s final season as Milwaukee’s manager, Miller was used off the bench and while the numbers weren’t crazy, he produced a .261 batting average with a .327 OBP, and stole 13 bases. Miller isn’t much of a power hitter, but he’ll run into one every now and then, as he’s hit 15 home runs in 303 career games.
It’s been kind of rough for Miller since 2023. He was stuck at Triple-A for most of the 2024 season and only appeared in 14 games with the Brewers that year with abysmal results. Then, last year he was dealt to the Colorado Rockies, but Miller couldn’t stick on their roster either. Worse yet, Miller didn’t hit much at Triple-A, posting a 76 wRC+ in 102 games.
To be clear, Miller’s signing is clearly to have another body in spring training and a depth piece at Iowa for the Cubs to begin the regular season. There’s obviously some familiarity between him and Counsell, so he probably got the invite with that connection.
Still, like Ian Miller back in 2020 and 2021, Owen Miller might impress some fans in spring training. He’ll spray the ball around, collect his hits and become a guy who you’ll notice. That doesn’t always mean the player will produce later on, but at the very least it’s good to have some competition during spring training. We primarily focus on the MLB roster, because ultimately that’s where the winning and losing matters, but guys are also simply trying to stick around at Triple-A too with an eye on a potential future call up.
We’ll see how things shake up with Miller, but entering spring training he’ll be one of several guys on minor league deals trying to earn a role with the Cubs. His defensive flexibility could give him an edge at Iowa as Miller has logged starts at both infield and outfield corner spots during his MLB career, while also handling second base as his secondary position.