The 2012 season has been a good one for Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley. He was named Rookie of the Month in April, he has now won six games to go with only one loss and he has been the D-backs' best starter this season. On top of that, he is also having a superb year at the plate.
After two hits on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, he is hitting .444 and has a seven-game hitting streak.
That's a pretty impressive feat considering he only plays once every five days.
How has he done it? The answer was clear for Miley after the game on Saturday. "Luck," he said quickly. It matched his response to a double he hit that was just a few feet from being a home run. After the hit and his teammates were going crazy, all he did was shrug his shoulders like he has no idea why it is happening.
The TV broadcast team compares his swing -- a bit tongue in cheek, mind you -- to that of the great Tony Gwynn. According to Daron Sutton and Mark Grace, Miley "is a poor man's Tony Gwynn."
That is clearly an exaggeration and Miley certainly is not going to win any batting titles. He won't even get the attention (and shouldn't) that former D-backs pitcher Micah Owings got for his hitting prowess.
But that doesn't mean Miley doesn't have a little something.
Manager Kirk Gibson even went as far as to say "he's got game," citing how he is able to make contact with the ball consistently and added that "he's a great sac bunter."
Can we count on Miley getting pinch hitting opportunities on his off days? That is almost a certain no, unless there is a bunting situation.
But the year he is having certainly covers every facet of the game -- hitting included. It's a ride that he should just sit back and enjoy.
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