25 most important stars for MLB playoffs

23. Andrew Miller

There have been very few, if any, relievers in MLB history who have seen their postseason legend reach such heights as St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Andrew Miller. Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera is the only other name that comes to mind when thinking of all-time great playoff relief performances. Rivera has Miller beat when it comes to staying power, but the lefty with the dominant slider has put up strikeout totals that no one can touch.

Miller’s 2016 postseason was one for the record books. He appeared in 10 games and logged 19.1 innings with a 1.40 ERA and struck out 30 with only five walks. Miller was the MVP of the ALCS after appearing in four of five games and giving Cleveland 7.2 shutout innings with 14 strikeouts. Before showing signs of mortality in the World Series, Miller threw 23.1 shutout innings with 37 strikeouts before allowing his first career postseason run.

All of the extra multi-inning work in the playoffs appears to have taken its toll on Miller’s body. He has thrown only 88.2 innings the last two seasons and is no longer able to go more than one inning at a time. In fact, the Cardinals have used him more like a lefty specialist this year than a relief ace.

A few ugly appearances at the end of September bloated Miller’s ERA all the way up to 4.45 this year, but he put together a strong three-month stretch from June to August with a 3.20 ERA and struck out 34 in 25.1 innings while holding opponents to a .170/.305/.341 line. There’s still potential for Miller to dominate in short bursts, and the Cardinals will find a way to maximize his value in front of their younger flamethrowers like Carlos Martinez.