Phillies’ No. 2 prospect Aidan Miller is blocking out the rumors ahead of MLB’s Trade Deadline

Aidan Miller was once that fan at the trade deadline: the one imagining his favorite team trading away their top prospects for the superstar to get them over the edge and win a championship.

It often involved his hometown Tampa Bay Rays. Miller envisioned the Rays selling off whoever it took in their farm system to acquire his favorite player, Josh Hamilton, from the Texas Rangers. He’d sift through social media to find any information he could on prospects to theoretically complete the blockbuster deal.

Instead of reading into the trade buzz, Miller is now the one blocking it out.

Top prospects often become trade chips in late July, viewed as individuals without families and emotions. It’s no different for Miller. The Phillies’ No. 2 prospect is frequently rumored to be in packages for current Major League contributors with Philadelphia looking to get over the hump in the postseason and win its first World Series in 17 years.

Miller admittedly went down a few social media rabbit holes last season around this time of year. But with the deadline days away, Miller is tuning out social media almost entirely, a practice he picked up from fellow top prospect Justin Crawford, and instead is focusing on what he can control amid professional baseball’s most polarizing period of movement.

“I try not to be on (social media) too much, especially during the trade deadline, because nobody really knows what's going to happen until it happens,” Miller said. “If I do end up being traded, I'm sure it'll be a good situation. But I want to be here in Philly.”

He sees the fan accounts and understands their excitement.

One of Miller’s best friends, a Yankees fan, regularly jokes with him about New York acquiring him at some point in his career. He sends Miller parody accounts on X, specifically @MLBONFAX, with bundles involving Miller. They get a good laugh out of the mock trades. Reality, however, could cause a more serious tone.

Miller’s Fightin Phils Manager Al Pedrique heard a few players talking about the trade deadline on their recent road trip ahead of the All-Star Break. He told the clubhouse it’s not their job to discuss potential deals. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.

“We always tell the players, especially young guys, you have no control over the situation. Even we as coaches have no control,” Pedrique said. “The only thing you can control is what you can do between the white lines.”

He’s doing just that.

As many Minor Leaguers head home for vacation during the All-Star Break, Miller was back to work. He landed in Florida past 2 a.m. on the Monday of break. That afternoon, he was in the batting cage with his older brother, Jackson. Miller also mixed in strength and mobility workouts with Tampa-based strength trainer Denny Locascio. Jackson, a former draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds, said each time his younger brother comes home, he’s hit another level of maturity.

Miller’s stop home wouldn’t be complete without time at The Courthouse Performance Center — the practice facility owned and operated by his father, Jason. Miller practically lived there in high school as he developed into a first-round pick. He spent time with players like Pete Alonso and Marcus Stroman, among others, while matching up with professional pitchers since he was 14. It’s also where his Phillies’ career began.

Friends, family, coaches and everyone in between gathered at the facility on July 9, 2023, prepared to see Miller’s name called quickly in the MLB Draft. Though Miller and Co. were forced to wait a little longer than expected.

Following an outstanding junior season at J.W. Mitchell High School, Miller’s draft stock grew each time he took the field. Just as he was prepared to produce a gargantuan senior season, an injury ended it before it even started.

Jason remembers Miller feeling slight pain in his left hand near the end of his Team USA tenure in September 2022. The discomfort remained through the fall season, and as he participated in a preseason tournament with many scouts on hand, Miller reached his breaking point. He called his father over to the dugout to tell him the irritation had built up to where he couldn’t swing.

They went to get X-rays, and his hamate bone was broken, ending his high school career. Miller stayed around the program throughout the season and continued to improve regardless of the state of his left hand. J.W. Mitchell head coach Howard Chittum said Miller worked on the mental side, studying film and breaking down swing techniques.

As the picks rolled along without Miller’s selection, Jackson was nervous. Jason said the time between picks felt like hours instead of minutes. But Miller? Calm, cool and collected.

He slipped past the top 15 picks and as the Rays' pick at No. 19 came around, many in the room thought Miller would be staying home. However, Tampa Bay passed on him, too, and he continued to slip past the top 25. Then came the unexpected nature of the draft at No. 27.

“I had teams that I thought I was gonna go to, and teams that I knew were out on me,” Miller said. “And then there was the Phillies, who I had never talked to, never had a workout for them or anything. Them taking me was a huge surprise.”

Jason credits the hand injury and Miller’s age — he was drafted at 19 years old out of high school — for his son’s draft stock falling. Nevertheless, Miller landed in the first round and needed to decide between kickstarting his professional career or jumping into a top college team in the country.

Arkansas Recruiting Coordinator Nate Thompson didn’t have a lot of hope when Miller first arrived in Fayetteville at 15 years old for a winter camp. The kid from sunshine and heat was thrust into cool winds and snow. While many high school prospects feel an attachment to the in-state programs of Florida or Florida State, Miller didn’t care. He fell in love with the Razorbacks and committed a few months later.

“There was not a lot of hope we would ever get him to school from the moment he committed,” Thompson said. “I think he could have been a Dylan Crews-type impact player in college if he had done it.”

Miller said despite his admiration for Arkansas, the Phillies’ selection made signing professionally a “pretty easy decision.” Rather than heading for the SEC, Miller was entering the Minor Leagues.

He found comfort with the Phillies’ organization as the Clearwater complex is just 25 minutes from his home in Trinity. Miller even lived at home, sleeping in his own bed to make a seamless transition.

Early in camp, he met Minor League Infield Coordinator and former MLB shortstop Adam Everett. Many talent evaluators doubted whether Miller could play at shortstop as a professional. The 11-year veteran posed a simple question to Miller before they started.

“Where do you want to play?” Everett asked.

“Shortstop,” Miller answered with zero hesitation.

He gets why they doubt him. Miller was set to be an everyday shortstop for the first time in his senior season, but the hand injury stifled the opportunity.

Miller elevated through youth baseball as a two-way player, often showing off his pitching prowess and power bat simultaneously. As a sophomore in high school, Miller reached the mid-90s in velocity until advisors and scouts counseled him to focus solely on his offensive game. Chittum would even send Miller to the bullpen after he stopped pitching just to put fear into the opponent.

Andy Fleischacker, Miller’s coach for the Kangaroo Court and Top Tier Roos club team, said he bounced around in the outfield and still made his mark. Jackson pointed to Miller’s strong frame as the reason many coaches would stick him at third base. Chittum eventually gave him his shot at shortstop, and it was a work in progress.

“He looked like a baby giraffe at shortstop, and it angered him,” Chittum said. “It angered him so much that he just worked to be a great shortstop.”

So, as Miller confirmed with Everett where he wanted to play as a professional, Everett told him he’d do everything he could to help Miller stick at the position. While many young players base their game on others, Miller focuses on himself. He tries to be as athletic as possible while allowing his natural instincts to take over.

Miller sends Everett highlights from Fightin Phils’ games to analyze. Everett sees improvements in his arm strength and angles, two areas they honed in on in Spring Training. In 2024, Miller’s first full season as a shortstop, he learned how to play the position. 2025 has turned into a year of advancement, where Miller can focus on reading swing patterns and the finer details.

Development is a work in progress. Whether his defense with Everett, upgraded baserunning or top-tool of hitting, daily enhancement can become a grind. Especially for a 21-year-old highly touted prospect.

But he’s used to the pressure. No. 2 shortstop in the nation. No. 19 draft prospect. He’s emerged as the No. 19 prospect in all of baseball. Two weeks before the first half of the season ended, Pedrique emphatically reminded Miller to have fun. Play like you're in your backyard with your friends, the manager said.

Miller is embracing the message. As the youngest player in the Phillies’ big league camp at Spring Training, Miller got a taste of the highest level. It allowed him to see there’s more work to do, but he’s on the right path. Now, he’s taking control of his career.

“When I first signed, I was listening to so many things, so many people were telling me things that they thought would work for me,” Miller said. “It's all out of good intentions, but ultimately, one day I just decided, ‘Hey, I'm gonna do my own thing.’”

A trade would likely open the door for a quicker rise to MLB. Most teams don’t possess the big-league talent Philadelphia does. Though, Miller knows this is the culture he wants to be in. Jason sees the rumors and recognizes it’s part of the business. Jackson finds some of them “hysterical.” For Miller, it’s not fazing him.

He’s a Phillie. And he’s controlling what he can until 6 p.m. EST on July 31.