There is no doubt there is tremendous stress for a young man trying to make it in professional baseball. There also is little doubt that being one of the best prospects in the game also adds a certain level of stress. Then again, a fry cook at McDonald’s also feels stress during the lunch shift of the local franchise.
There is no good explanation of why St. Louis Cardinals prospect Shelby Miller was suspended from his team recently due to an alcohol-related incident. At this point I am having a difficult time finding out what actually transpired as everyone is keeping mum. That in itself is very suspicious.
What is not suspicious is that Miller is one of the most highly-regarded right-handed minor league pitching prospects. The 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound Miller has breezed through both Class A and Class AA the past two years.
Miller is 9-6 with a 2.93 ERA and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings this year between high Class A and Class AA. He was the Cardinals’ first-round draft pick in 2009.
2nd Offense
The talented young righty was suspended “indefinitely” by the team last week, but re-instated just yesterday after a 7-day suspension. Miller will start tonight for the Springfield, Cardinals.
We all have been 20, and most of us consumed alcohol illegally at that age. Though, on our behalf, most of us have never been involved in an alcohol-related incident involving police. Also, most of us did not have so much to lose and so much to prove at such a young age.
I would think with this being his second off-field incident this summer involving alcohol, the Cardinals would seriously consider signing him up for an online alcohol class.