Damian Miller

Brandon Glick · March 13, 2025

Damian Miller is a former professional baseball catcher, having played 11 seasons with five teams, including one crucial campaign as the Chicago Cubs' starting backstop during the 2003 NLCS run.

Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round of the 1990 MLB Draft, Miller didn't make his official debut until 1997 with the franchise. However, he was one of the ostracized "replacement players" during the 1994 MLB strike, which means that 1) he is not a member of the Major League Baseball Players' Association, 2) his stats from those 1994 games are rendered void and do not count, and 3) he can't appear on any official MLB/MLBPA merchandise or licensed content (as a result of #1). Therefore, he never appeared in an MLB video game, and he does not appear on any official commemorative merchandise from the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series win.

Besides that unique piece of trivia, Miller had a solid if unspectacular career. The Diamondbacks selected him in the 1998 expansion draft, and he blossomed into their starting catcher by the 2000 season. He played a pivotal role in the team's World Series triumph in 2001 and was named an All-Star for the only time in his career the following season.

Then, on November 13, 2002, the Cubs acquired Miller from the Diamondbacks for Gary Johnson and Dave Noyce. He spent only one season in Chicago, but as the starting catcher on that fabled 2003 squad that fell just shy of the National League pennant, Miller is remembered fondly by Cubs fans. He slashed just .233/.310/.369 in 400 plate appearances, all of which were below his career norms. However, he did still post a positive WAR (0.3) thanks to his above-average defense. Miller also drove in two runs that postseason, including one in the crushing Game 7 loss to the then-Florida Marlins in the NLCS.

After the season, the Cubs dealt him to the (should-still-be-Oakland) Athletics in exchange for Michael Barrett, who played three-and-a-half strong seasons in Chicago and won a Silver Slugger award in 2005. Miller played one season in Oakland before moving on to become the Milwaukee Brewers' catcher from 2005-07. The backstop retired after the 2007 season, rejecting contract offers from multiple teams in a bid to stay with his home-state Brewers.

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