Miller was born in San Pablo,California. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the 1975 MLB draft out of Harry Ells High School in Richmond,California.
Miller's professional career spanned 1975 to 1990,first reaching Triple-A in 1978. [1] He played in 902 minor league baseball games and also played parts of four seasons in the Mexican League. [1]
Miller appeared in a total of 138 MLB games during parts of seven seasons. [2] He played a career-high 50 major-league games with the 1981 Atlanta Braves. [2] He had a .286 batting average (79-for-332) for his MLB career,with only eight extra base hits. [2] His only major-league home run came in his final major-league at bat. [3]
Miller was part of the first four-team blockbuster deal in major-league history on December 8,1977. The trade sent Miller and two other players from the Rangers to the Braves,and also involved the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets with a total of 11 players changing teams. [4] [5]
Edwin Lee Mathews was an American professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons for the Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966);Houston Astros (1967) and Detroit Tigers (1967–68). Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978,he is the only player to have represented the Braves in the three cities they have called home. He played 1,944 games for the Braves during their 13-season tenure in Milwaukee—the prime of Mathews' career.
Andruw Rudolf Jones is a Curaçaoan former professional baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB),most notably for the Atlanta Braves. Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Texas Rangers,Chicago White Sox,and New York Yankees,and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Jones was a noted defensive specialist for most of his career and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for outfielders every year from 1998 through 2007. He had a strong throwing arm in addition to his elite fielding. He was an MLB All-Star five times,and he won both the Hank Aaron Award and a Silver Slugger Award for outfielders in 2005.
Johnny Lane Oates was an American professional baseball player,coach,and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles,Atlanta Braves,Philadelphia Phillies,Los Angeles Dodgers,and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1981. During his playing career,Oates was a light-hitting player who was valued for his defensive skills and played most of his career as a reserve player. It was as a big league manager that Oates experienced his greatest success,when,under his leadership,the Texas Rangers won three American League Western Division titles.
John David Milner was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from 1971 to 1982 for the New York Mets,Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos. Milner was a member of the 1973 National League pennant-winning New York Mets team,as well as a member of the 1979 world champion Pittsburgh Pirates team. A native of Atlanta,Georgia,he grew up a huge Hank Aaron fan,even appropriating his idol's nickname,"the Hammer".
Guillermo Montañez Naranjo is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball first baseman,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels (1966),Philadelphia Phillies,San Francisco Giants (1975–1976),Atlanta Braves (1976–1977),New York Mets (1978–1979),Texas Rangers (1979),San Diego Padres (1980),Montreal Expos (1980–1981),and Pittsburgh Pirates (1981-1982). He batted and threw left-handed.
Brian O'Neal Jordan is an American former professional baseball and professional gridiron football player. Jordan played for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League as a safety from 1989 to 1991,and played for the St. Louis Cardinals,Atlanta Braves,Los Angeles Dodgers,and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1992 to 2006. Jordan was an MLB All-Star in 1999.
Thomas Alan Grieve is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1979 for the Washington Senators / Texas Rangers,New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. He was nicknamed "TAG",which are his initials,and most notably as "Mr. Ranger",as he was a member of the Texas Rangers’1972 inaugural season. In 2010,Grieve was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
Delbert Bernard Unser is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder and utility player from 1968 to 1982,most prominently with the Philadelphia Phillies,where he was a member of the 1980 World Series winning team. He also played for the Washington Senators,Cleveland Indians,New York Mets and the Montreal Expos. His father was major league catcher Al Unser.
William Henry Robinson,Jr. was an American professional baseball outfielder,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1966 to 1983,for several teams. He also played some first and third base. Robinson batted and threw right-handed.
Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1971 through 1983 for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.
Cornelius Joseph Ryan was an American professional baseball second baseman,third baseman,coach and manager who served as interim manager of two Major League Baseball teams,the 1975 Atlanta Braves and the 1977 Texas Rangers.
Kenneth Joseph Henderson is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1965 through 1980 for the San Francisco Giants,Chicago White Sox,Atlanta Braves,Texas Rangers,New York Mets,Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs.
Paul Adrian Devine was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher in 1973 and from 1975 through 1980 for the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. He batted and threw right-handed and served primarily as a relief pitcher.
The 1977 Texas Rangers season involved the Rangers finishing second in the American League West with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses. The 1977 Rangers were notable for having an American League record four managers in the same season. Frank Lucchesi began the season as the manager but team's board of directors decide to make a change after the Rangers entered June with a .500 record. Former Major League player and manager Eddie Stanky was introduced as the new manager on June 17 but changed his mind after one game and returned to his home in Alabama. Bench coach Connie Ryan served as the interim manager for six games before Billy Hunter was hired and led the team to a 60-33 record for the rest of the year.
The 1978 Atlanta Braves season was the 108th season for the franchise and their 13th in Atlanta.
Nelson Augusto Norman is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player,coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1978 to 1982 for the Texas Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He returned to the major leagues in 1987 with the Montreal Expos. After his playing career he continued to serve in minor league baseball as a coach and manager for several professional baseball organizations.
Thomas Winton Boggs was an American professional baseball player and college baseball coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves (1978–1983).
Robert Edward Grossman is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros,Minnesota Twins,Oakland Athletics,Detroit Tigers,Atlanta Braves,Texas Rangers,Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals. After attending high school in Texas,Grossman was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round in 2008. He made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2013. He won the 2023 World Series with the Rangers.
Eddie Manuel Rosario,Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional baseball left fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins,Cleveland Indians,Atlanta Braves,and Washington Nationals.
Ramón Laureano Jr. is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Guardians.