'We're just learning': How Snell, Miller's friendship may prove fruitful
Sonja Chen
@sonjamchenGLENDALE, Ariz. -- This time last year, Blake Snell still didn't know which uniform he would be wearing the next time he stepped on a big league mound.
It wound up being a wild ride of a season, as Snell signed with the Giants about a week and a half before Opening Day and endured a disastrous start to the regular season -- but he finished with an excellent three-month stretch before hitting free agency again, this time landing with the Dodgers on a five-year, $182 million contract.
Perhaps it's fitting, then, that Snell has emerged as a mentor to Bobby Miller, who began last year as a key piece of the Dodgers' rotation but battled injury and inconsistency in his sophomore season.
"Y'all are saying I'm taking him under my wing," Snell said. "We're just friends, learning. We're just learning. I wouldn't say I'm a mentor. We're friends."
Whatever Snell calls it, it's apparent that the two have become close. Their lockers are next to one another in the clubhouse. They have spent a lot of time together at Camelback Ranch, with Snell looking on during Miller's recent live batting practice session.
The Dodgers knew they were adding a proven ace in Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, but the character that they brought into the clubhouse may end up being just as additive as his performance on the mound -- especially if Snell can help Miller rediscover his rookie-year form.
Miller went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA across 22 starts when he first broke into the Majors in 2023. Expectations were high the following year, but Miller missed two months with a shoulder injury after his first three starts and never got back on track, posting an 8.52 ERA across 13 outings.
With a chance to win the fifth spot in the Dodgers' rotation with a strong spring, Miller is trying to have a short memory and focus on what's ahead.
"It was obviously a rough year, but I saw what I was able to do as a rookie, so that's the bright side," Miller said. "Another bright side is it can't get much worse than what it was last year. But as of right now, I'm feeling in a way better spot than I was last year. Physically, I feel more ready than ever."
Miller admitted to having a tough time with the mental side of the game when he was struggling in 2024, something that he has had conversations about with Snell. Miller has tried his best to take advantage of the opportunity to pick Snell's brain about how he approaches the game within the game.
"I think that having Blake mentor Bobby is great in the sense of Blake is very big on process," manager Dave Roberts said. "We all know how talented Bobby is, but Bobby's got to be good. He's got to be healthy, and he's got to perform. I think that Blake is tapping into the mental side of that, and there's not a much more powerful thing that can come from a guy who's won Cy Youngs."
Miller's experience is somewhat in line with what Snell went through last season, although on a different scale.
Because Snell signed at the end of Spring Training, he didn't have anything resembling a normal spring buildup and found himself "playing catchup" as he acclimated to his new organization. He struggled through his first six starts with the Giants, recording a 9.51 ERA and going on the injured list twice in that span.
When he returned from his second IL stint, though, Snell looked much more like himself. He had a scant 1.23 ERA in his final 14 starts, which included his first career no-hitter on Aug. 2 vs. the Reds. That set Snell up to opt out of the second year of his contract with San Francisco and sign the longer-term deal he favored.
Snell was able to work through his adversity and come out stronger on the other side. He might just be able to help Miller do the same.
"I don't live in the past," Snell said. "He shouldn't either. ¡ I don't ask him what he did last year because I don't care. I think what he's going to do is way more important than what happened. Learn from it, get better, whatever. It was going bad, and then this year is this year. Be ready for it."