Former SF Giants third round pick re-signs with the Braves

A former SF Giants top draft pick did not have a long stay in free agency as he re-signed with his old team relatively quickly. According to the MLB.Com Transactions Page, infield prospect Jalen Miller is returning to the Atlanta Braves on a minor league pact.

Former SF Giants third round pick re-signs with the Braves

The Giants selected Miller in the third round of the 2015 draft out of Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Originally drafted as a shortstop, the Giants tinkered with the idea of having him play in the outfield as well before he moved strictly to second base.

Given his draft pedigree, the middle infield prospect often appeared on the Giants' top prospect lists earlier in his career. However, his prospect status dimmed as he struggled at nearly every minor league level.

In the year that he was drafted, Miller posted a .511 OPS in 197 plate appearances with the Arizona Giants of the Arizona Rookie League. His struggles continued over the next two seasons, but he still moved up the minor-league ladder.

He was asked to repeat Single-A in 2018 after a rough campaign in 2017 and that was a move that proved to be favorable for Miller. He slashed .276/.321/.434 with 14 home runs, 62 RBI, and 73 runs scored in 554 plate appearances with the San Jose Giants in that season. It appeared as if he had turned the corner and started tapping into the raw power that once made him a third-round pick.

This was an especially encouraging development given that he had been one of the younger players in Single-A in 2018. He earned a promotion to Double-A in 2019 but struggled to the tune of a .619 OPS, but he managed to swat 11 home runs.

Of course, Miller did not register a stat line in 2020 due to the canceled season from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Giants left him unprotected in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft last December and he was plucked away by the Atlanta Braves.

The right-handed bat was assigned to Double-A where he produced a .646 OPS with nine home runs in only 255 plate appearances. The home run output was encouraging, but his stat line was not too different from his 2019 season.

Despite this, the Braves must have liked what they saw because he will be returning to the organization in 2022. The terms of the deal are not yet known but it cannot include a camp invite at the moment due to the transaction freeze. Hopefully,