Blue Jays’ Rule 5 success story Spencer Miles gets poetic test against Giants

It's been an unexpected whirlwind of a season for Spencer Miles. The 25-year-old right-hander has gone from Rule 5 Draft pick to one of the most pleasant surprises of the Toronto Blue Jays season.

Toronto took him off the hands of the San Francisco Giants in December and gave him every opportunity to make the team out of spring training. He excelled in that test run, made the team's Opening Day roster, and has just continued to put together an unexpected, yet very welcomed first year in the big leagues for a team that is desperate for a good story on a nightly basis.

Now, Miles gets a chance to show the Giants what they missed. He gets the assignment tonight (Jul. 7) in the second game of a three game set between the Blue Jays and the Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Giants left Miles unprotected, but no one could blame them

With Miles posting a 2.83 ERA in 24 games (two starts) with a 9.17 K/9 rate and 2.98 FIP in 54 innings, this looks like a complete misstep by the front office. Considering the Giants are near the bottom of the NL West and have had very few success stories of their own this season, letting go of Miles looks like one of the worst decisions of their offseason.

However, the Giants drafted Miles in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and right from the get-go he struggled to stay healthy. Undergoing two major surgeries, including Tommy John surgery, will certainly drop your stock in any system.

Miles pitched just 14.2 innings in his pro-ball career for the Giants. Even though it looked like he was finally turning a corner and managed to strikeout 12 batters in 8.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League, it still wasn't enough to convince the Giants to protect him on the 40-man roster. It was likely a...giant surprise when the Blue Jays selected him in the Rule 5 Draft, as they had spent all offseason building up their pitching depth through trades and free agent signings.

After the additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, as well as Shane Bieber taking the option in his player contract, the rotation was looking pretty solid. Meantime, the Blue Jays bullpen was already taking shape as well, which meant Miles was facing an uphill battle to secure a spot on the roster. There was also another Rule 5 Draft pick in camp in pitcher Angel Bastardo.

Miles surpassed all of those obstacles and is now in a position to really solidify himself as a guy to watch for the Blue Jays not just for the rest of the season, but potentially as a long-term option in the Blue Jays rotation for 2027 as well. There's always going to be trepedation around players who have an extensive injury history like Miles does, not to mention is inexperience, but with the Blue Jays naming him the starter against the Giants, it speaks volumes as to what they think about him and his potential.

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