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Top-10 Stories of 2021: Brothers Owen and Noah Miller start their own big league paths this summer

January 1, 2022
By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

At the end of each calendar year, our staff reflects on the most interesting stories of the past year. Through the end of the month, we’ll be counting down some of the most impactful headlines that affected Wisconsin’s baseball community, ending with our No. 1 story of 2021 revealed on New Year’s Day.

Brothers and Ozaukee High School grads Owen and Noah Miller are a pair more recent examples of Wisconsin-born-and-raised talent to represent the community along the professional baseball track, and 2021 was a particularly memorable year for the two, as Owen (Class of 2015) made his MLB debut on May 23, and just six weeks later, his younger brother Noah heard his name called by the Minnesota Twins with the No. 36 pick in the draft.

Owen has continually paved the way for Noah on the diamond as a model of consistency that required a patient path to being recognized as one of the Midwest’s top prospects. He developed a reputation as having a well-rounded skill set, namely strong bat-to-ball skills while being a versatile and reliable infielder. His knack for contact swiftly adapted to collegiate ball, where at Illinois State he made an instantaneous impact, starting all 54 games as a freshman earning all kinds of freshman all-American honors along the way. He hit .325 in his sophomore season as the team’s everyday shortstop, and his junior spring propelled him into the draft conversation, where he led the team with 88 hits while making more meaningful contact, slugging .537. The San Diego Padres picked him in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft, and Miller climbed the ranks upon being traded to the Cleveland organization, making his big league debut in May of 2021 – maintaining that useful, utilityman profile throughout his pro career.

Owen just kept running low strikeout rates and high batting averages in affiliated ball, hitting over .330 at his two Class-A stops in 2018. A season-long Double-A stay in 2019 was also similarly productive, and Owen became a staple on the prospect map before he was traded to the Cleveland club. His new organization sent him to Triple-A to start 2021, where he grew into a little more power, at the sake of some more swing and miss, and it wasn’t long before his parent team called on him to make his long-awaited MLB debut on May 23 at home against Minnesota. Miller collected his first hit the next day in Detroit, and he clubbed his first homer in Chicago against the White Sox on July 31, his first game back in the MLB after another short Triple-A stint. Since his return to the Majors, Owen showed that his contact-oriented approach was beginning to adapt to the level.

Along that time, younger brother Noah had essentially run the table as the top-ranked player in Wisconsin’s Class of 2021. His brother’s reputation had made sure that Noah would not go unnoticed, and Noah helped his own cause plenty, and from early on. It didn’t take long for Noah to garner national praise for his glovework – Wisconsin has become a shortstop hotbed, and Noah’s nifty hands and actions are debatably the best it's ever produced. While his defense stole the show, Noah’s authentic switch-hit ability looked increasingly impactful at the next level and beyond, and pro scouts were becoming more and more intrigued at the idea of selecting the younger Miller high enough to entice him away from his commitment to Alabama.

Noah Miller (Super 60, 2021)

Productive performances on the national stage, including the 2021 PBR Super 60, helped Noah assert himself as one of the country’s top prep shortstops, and the Twins ultimately used their second pick (No. 36 overall) to bring Noah into their organization. Noah played in 22 games at the Twins’ complex upon signing his first professional contract, where he held his own, certainly. He slugged .369 there, tallying six extra-base hits during his first taste of pro ball, including a pair of home runs.

The development of the Miller brothers’ journey through the pro ball ranks was, and continues to be, an exciting milestone for the state of baseball in Wisconsin.

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