Top Dynasty Keepers – Soderstrom And Miller

Another work week is in the books, so let’s start the weekend off with another dive into Top Dynasty Keepers.

As I mentioned last week, this time of year is when you start to dig a little deeper to find some gems who will help you perhaps this year but with more of the future in mind as well. That leads me to the two players on the Oakland Athletics who I want to feature this week – catcher Tyler Soderstrom and right-hand pitcher Mason Miller.

Soderstrom, the top prospect for the A’s, was recently called up from the minors by Oakland, making his debut on July 14th. It should not be surprising for me to mention Soderstrom as a Top Dynasty Keeper. He is a former first round draft pick, selected 26th overall in 2020 out of high school.

Since signing with the A’s, he has climbed the prospect rankings and was ranked 35th by Baseball America, 39th by MLB Pipeline, and 78th by Baseball Prospectus. Despite his prospect credentials, he is currently rostered in only 11% of Yahoo leagues, 1.8% of ESPN leagues, and 45% of Fantrax leagues.

Meanwhile, Miller, considered the team’s No. 2 prospect, has actually been with Oakland most of the year – just on the disabled list. Making his debut April 19th, Miller made four starts before landing on the Injured List with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

This is the first time for me to recommend a player who is currently injured, but when looking for that next diamond in the rough, you need to look everywhere. Because of his current status, Miller is pretty available to immediately add to your roster as he is rostered in 12% of Yahoo leagues, 3% in ESPN, and 46% in Fantrax leagues.

Enough with the banter, let’s take a look at Soderstrom and Miller.

TYLER SODERSTROM

A Powerful Swing

Considered one of the top hitters in his high school class, the A’s drafted him and made sure he would sign by offering him $3.3 million. The money spent was because of what Soderstrom does well – hit for power. And he wasted little time showing off his power once he signed.

As a 19-year-old in Class A ball in 2021, Soderstrom hit 12 homers in 222 at-bats while slashing .306/.390/.568. He continued to mash the ball last season. Across three levels (High A to Triple A), the lefty-hitting catcher clubbed 29 home runs and drove in 105 runs while slugging .501.

Should Average be a Concern?

Before this season, Soderstrom not only was hitting for power but for average as well. In 2022, his average actually improved as he rose through the system. At High A ball, he hit .260 with a .324 OBP. At Double A he had a .278 average and .327 OBP and then at Triple A he hit .297 with a .316 OBP.

Soderstrom started this season at Triple A and was slashing .254/.303/.536 in 304 plate appearances. The power was still showing up as he hit 20 homers and had 59 RBI, but he had a .254 batting average and .303 OBP. And so far with the A’s, he is struggling with a .161/.257/.161 slash line with zero homers through his first 35 plate appearances.

But Soderstrom has a history of being able to hit for average as he hit the ball to all fields. Add in the fact that he is trying to learn to catch on the major league level, and I wouldn’t be too concerned about his batting average or his OBP. If you are going to go after Soderstrom, it is because of the home runs he can hit for your team.

Is Catcher His Future Position?

As a catcher, Soderstrom has good arm strength and he has shown to be a good receiver while in the minors. But Oakland has also played him at first base during his time in the minors and two of his five starts in the field have been at first base (his other four starts have been as a DH). The A’s also have Shea Langeliers on the roster who is regarded as a very solid catcher.

The likely outcome will have Soderstrom splitting time at first base, catcher, and DH the rest of this season and the future. Langeliers won’t catch 162 games, leading Soderstrom to get enough starts behind the plate to maintain his eligibility at that position. Even if he becomes just a first baseman/DH, he has enough pop in his bat to warrant a spot on your roster.

Tough Road to the Show

The path to the majors has not been an easy one for Miller. After not getting drafted out of high school, Miller attended tiny Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania. His freshman year in 2017 showed no signs of a pitcher who would eventually make it to the majors. In 32 appearances, including four starts, he went 1-4 with a 7.03 ERA and 1.781 WHIP. He allowed 42 hits and 15 walks, though he did strike out 42 batters, in 32 innings of work.

In 2018, Miller was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes, leading him to drop down to 150 pounds before being able to manage the problem and bulk back up to 220 pounds. But he continued to struggle on the mound, going 1-5 in nine games (7 starts) with a 7.16 ERA and 2.020 WHIP. Finally healthy in 2019, Miller started to show signs of being the pitcher he is today. He went 7-2 in 11 starts, posting a 1.86 ERA and 1.049 WHIP. In 67.2 innings, he allowed 40 hits and struck out 97 (12.9 K/9 rate) but did walk 31 hitters (4.1 BB/9 rate).

Moving On

COVID basically voided Miller’s 2020 college season. Given an extra year of eligibility, he transferred to Gardner-Webb University in 2021 and went 8-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.112 WHIP in 14 starts (15 appearances). He racked up 92.2 innings of work and recorded 121 strikeouts (11.8 K/9 rate) while dropping his walk rate down to 2.9/9.

Oakland liked what they saw from Miller and drafted him in the third round and signed him for just under $600,000. Thanks to a scapula strain, Miller threw only six innings at Rookie ball, but had a 1.50 ERA and 13.5 K/9 rate in three appearances.

Dominant Numbers

Since last season, Miller has seen limited time on the mound. But has posted some ridiculous strikeout numbers when out there.

Across three levels last year, Miller had a 16.1 K/9 rate with a 3.86 ERA and 0.786 WHIP in 14 innings of work. In his one start at Triple A this year, he had 11 strikeouts and no walks in five no-hit innings. After being impressed with what he did during spring training and then that first start, the A’s recalled Miller and he did not disappoint in his four starts.

In 21.1 innings of work this season, he has a 3.38 ERA and 0.984 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and only seven walks. Opponents had a .133 batting average against Miller.

Secret to His Success

All you have to do is see Miller throw his fastball and ever-improving slider to understand why he is successful. With Oakland, his fastball is averaging 98 mph. In his last start at Triple A Las Vegas, 23 of the 65 pitches Miller threw were 100+ mph. And of those 23 pitches only eight of them were thrown for balls. With Oakland, Miller has thrown the fastball 54.5% of the time with the slider being thrown 21.4%.

And the slider is looking to be a wipeout pitch as batters have a 46% Whiff% against the pitch with a .105 average. Miller also throws a cutter that sits at 94 mph and a changeup that comes in at 90 mph and has a 40% Whiff% so far in limited usage.

On the Mend