Welcome back to another edition of Top Dynasty Keepers. This week we are going to focus on rookie pitcher Bryce Miller of Seattle and Josh Jung, a young third baseman for the Rangers.
Both players are currently trending up in ESPN leagues, as Miller is now rostered in 40 percent of leagues, an increase of 31% over the last week. Meanwhile, Jung has seen a 9.2% jump in ESPN leagues he is rostered in and now sits at 31.9%.
Texans Making Their Mark
Miller, who is from Mount Pleasant, Texas, was drafted in the 38th round out of high school. Wisely, he decided to not sign with Miami and instead attended Blinn Junior College for a year before heading to Texas A&M.
His first season with the Aggies was spent pitching out of the bullpen and he made eight appearances out of the bullpen in 2020 before COVID ended the college season. In 2021 he appeared in 13 games and made 10 starts, striking out 70 hitters in 56.2 innings of work.
Miller battled control problems while at Texas A&M, walking 4.6 batters per nine innings and 5.9 per nine innings his last season on campus. However, the Mariners liked what they saw from Miller and drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 June draft.
Jung, who hails from San Antonio, ventured to Lubbock after high school to attend Texas Tech where he starred for the Red Raiders. During his three-year career, he slashed .348/.455/.577, leading the Rangers to draft him with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 draft and giving him a $4.4 million signing bonus.
Jung would have likely been with Texas in 2021 but suffered a stress fracture in his left foot and then went through COVID protocols, leaving him to finish his year in the minors. He would have likely been the starting third baseman on Opening Day last year but suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder while lifting weights in February, thus delaying his debut with Texas to late in the season.
Bryce Miller
| YEAR | LEVEL | W-L | G-GS | IP | ERA | WHIP | BB/9 | K/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Seattle | 1-0 | 2-2 | 12 | 0.75 | 0.417 | 0.8 | 11.3 |
| 2021-23 | Minors | 7-6 | 36-33 | 162.2 | 3.65 | 1.119 | 2.8 | 10.8 |
| 2019-21 | NCAA | 8-6 | 54-10 | 110.2 | 4.07 | 1.355 | 4.6 | 11.5 |
After signing with the Mariners, Miller quickly went to work in the minor league system. He finished 2021 playing in Class A and during his first full season in the system he finished at Double-A. He showed how dominant he could be on the mound as he limited opposing hitters to a .195 batting average with 11 strikeouts per nine.
While in college, many believed Miller would remain a reliever due to his control issues and an outstanding fastball that sits at 95 mph but can hit the upper 90s.
But Miller has added muscle to his frame since leaving college, allowing him to add about three mph to his fastball. He has also learned to harness his fastball and improve his best secondary pitch – a hard slider. In 2022 his BB/9 rate was 3.1 and fell to 1.4 this year while maintaining a strikeout rate of 10.8 during this time in the minors.
| Pitch Type | # Thrown | Percentage | MPH | AB | H | AVG | SLG | Whiff% |
| Fastball | 117 | 70.5 | 95.6 | 30 | 1 | .033 | .033 | 28.8 |
| Slider | 32 | 19.3 | 86.4 | 3 | 1 | .333 | .667 | 11.8 |
| Curve | 15 | 9.0 | 81.3 | 5 | 2 | .400 | .400 | 0.0 |
| Changeup | 2 | 1.2 | 87.8 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0.0 |
Without question, Miller is proving he has a fastball that opposing batters have a tough time hitting. Through his first two starts, opponents are 1-for-30 against his fastball. ONE HIT in 30 at-bats for a .033 average! That obviously won’t last, but when major league hitters have a tough time hitting a fastball, then you know the pitcher is throwing a great pitch.
Miller loves his fastball as well, throwing it 70.5% of the time, followed by his slider 19.3% of the time, and then his curve. His slider generates about a foot of horizontal movement while also having good depth.
Hitters, however, will eventually figure out Miller’s fastball and that is why he still needs to develop his curve and changeup. A few starters can live with a two-pitch repertoire, but not many. Once he starts to feature at least a third pitch, Miller’s upside will be impressive and a great pitcher on your dynasty staff.
Josh Jung
| YEAR | LEVEL | AB | HR | RBI | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Texas | 139 | 8 | 25 | 8 | 47 | .252 | .295 | .468 |
| 2022 | Texas | 98 | 5 | 14 | 4 | 39 | .204 | .235 | .418 |
| 2019-22 | Minors | 602 | 30 | 118 | 56 | 143 | .311 | .381 | .538 |
| 2017-19 | NCAA | 747 | 33 | 181 | 128 | 120 | .348 | .455 | .577 |
There is a reason why Jung was drafted so high in 2019. Yes, he put up gaudy numbers, but he was already filled out with broad shoulders and strong legs, making it easy to project him to hit for power in the majors.
In the minors, he showed good bat-to-ball skills, slashing .311/.381/.538 in 602 minor league at-bats with 30 homers and 118 RBI. Jung also had a manageable strikeout rate of 21.2% with an 8.3% walk rate.
Power Bat will Play
The power Jung showed in college and in the minors has carried over to the majors as he currently has a career home run rate of 5.2% and currently sits at 5.4% this year. And better yet is the fact that his power is to all fields. This year he has hit four of his homers to left with his other four going to right and right-center field.
The one thing to be somewhat worried about is the fact the hit tool he showed in college and the minors hasn’t always been seen with the Rangers. He hit .204 last year with a 38.2% strikeout rate in 26 games. His batting average is up this year and his strikeout rate is down, but it is still at 31.5% with a walk rate of only 5.4%. As you can see from the chart above, he is near the bottom of the league when it comes to K%, BB%, Whiff% and Chase Rate.
That said, Jung has above average power and he should be a middle of the order bat for years to come and thus be a solid player on anyone’s dynasty team.
