Miller bringing health, hunger and hype to Rangers

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Brad Miller began his time with the Rangers with a leadoff home run on Opening Day 2022 in Toronto against the Blue Jays. At the time, it seemed as if Texas struck gold with an under-the-radar Spring Training signing of the utility man.

Instead, what followed were months of neck and hip soreness, multiple trips to the injured list and an eventual full shutdown in September. Miller played in 81 games at four different positions, slashing just .212/.270/.320.

• Box score: Royals 10, Rangers 5

“It was not fun, honestly, having to be shut down,” Miller said after arriving at Spring Training. “It wasn't fun leaving the team early to start rehab. It was kind of, personally, a pretty terrible year. I was not very good. So I think for me coming in, it's the same kind of feeling. I'm hungry. I want to come in and work hard to get myself in a much better place.

“I want to maintain that I want to perform like I know I'm capable of. That's how we look at it. Whether you have a good year or a bad year, you’ve got to earn it the next year. So thank God for me it's a new year, because last year was not good. I’m just hungry and feeling a lot better.”

Miller spent his offseason working to establish a new routine to get stronger and build himself up for the grind of a full season. He said he learned a good lesson about himself throughout his injury and rehab, but he wished he didn’t have to “hit rock bottom to build it back up.”

“The season is hard anyway, just physically,” Miller said. “You really have to be disciplined and stay on it, and I feel like I didn't do a great job of that. I had a couple [nagging injuries] starting in spring last year, and it just seemed like I couldn't get any momentum. I think it was because I had missed a couple of games at times. When I was playing, I felt good. I felt fine. But we kind of fell off there at the end. That wasn't a lot of fun.”

Now Miller is looking forward to recapturing some of the magic that made him a successful utility man in Philadelphia in 2019 and ‘21. In his second stint with the Phillies, Miller thrived in a platoon role, and he posted an .842 OPS against right-handed pitchers.

In his 10 years in the big leagues, Miller has logged 378 games at shortstop, 183 at second base, 133 at first base, 102 in the outfield, 92 at designated hitter and 76 at third base. He’s ready and prepared to play wherever the Rangers need him in 2023.

“He’s one that I think we're going to move around a lot to keep our options open,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “With Brad, he plays first, plays outfield, wherever. He can DH, too. He’s got the experience, and he’s healthy now as well. I'm looking forward to seeing him swinging the bat the way he did a couple of years ago. It's going to be important that we find him ABs in the spring.”

Like every other Ranger in the clubhouse, Miller is more than ready to be part of a hungry Texas team. The utility man has been known for being a “hype man” on some really good teams, most recently with Bryce Harper and the Phillies in 2021.

He is excited to once again be a vocal clubhouse leader for the Rangers this season.

“This is really exciting,” Miller said. “I alluded to not finishing the season strong -- it was not fun -- but it was really exciting to get back here with everybody. Spring Training is awesome because it's not just your 26 guys. It's your depth, all the players in your organization. So I think, from top to bottom, we have added a lot of really good players. There's a lot of competition. With the expectations and the goals that we have, as an organization, that's what you need. Players are going to get better for it. This is going to be fun.”