Fansided

Picking an All-Decade MLB team for the 2010s

By Joshua Sadlock

TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 17: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bats in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 17, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 8: Andrew Miller #24 of the Cleveland Indians pitches in the seventh inning during Game 3 of the ALDS against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field on Monday, October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 8: Andrew Miller #24 of the Cleveland Indians pitches in the seventh inning during Game 3 of the ALDS against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field on Monday, October 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Sargent/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Setup man: Andrew Miller

This list would be incomplete if it did not include St. Louis Cardinals lefty reliever Andrew Miller, who single-handedly rewrote the rules for bullpen usage in the MLB postseason at the end of the decade. The 34-year-old went from failed starter with the Florida Marlins, Tigers and Red Sox to a virtual cheat code for the Indians in the playoffs. Miller and manager Terry Francona upended the conventional wisdom that playoff teams must push their starters into the seventh inning and then only use their best reliever in the ninth inning.

Miller bounced between the starting rotation and bullpen for the first six years of his MLB career, posting an unspectacular 21-29 record with a 5.79 ERA. He surrendered 414 hits and 215 walks in 359.1 innings and struck out only 288. The Red Sox finally pulled the plug on the former sixth-overall pick in 2012, and the transformation was nearly instant.

Since becoming a full-time reliever, Miller has pitched to a 2.50 ERA in 420.2 innings and has struck out 13.6 per nine. Injuries have knocked him down a peg the last two seasons, but Miller has still managed to strike out nearly 12 per nine. His peak ran from 2013 to 2017, and over that time period, Miller posted a 1.82 ERA in 291.2 innings and struck out 14.5 per nine. He graciously accepted whatever bullpen role his team asked of him despite having a chance to increase his earning potential by bullying his way into a closing role.

It was in the postseason from 2014 to 2017 where Miller really built what should be an enduring legacy. He did not allow a single run over the first 23.1 innings of his playoff career and struck out 37 against five walks. Without Miller’s 11.2 shutout innings and 21 strikeouts in the ALDS and ALCS, the Indians likely do not make the 2016 World Series.

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