Aidan Miller got his first look at Coca-Cola Park and has a lot to learn about the Lehigh Valley where he will be playing for the rest of the season and next season as well. It took a trip from Reading to Allentown to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the 21-year-old to realize just how close Lehigh Valley and Reading are. One of his objectives for this last week of the season is to get acclimated with the area around the ballpark to see where he might want to live next season. It’s all just a part of being a young prospect who has spent all of this season and the last week of last season at Reading.

“I’m going to get to learn the town a little bit and see where I’m going to live next year,” said Miller. “I”m just looking to enjoy it for this final week.”

The biggest adjustment to Miller’s game this season came in the stolen base department. In his two previous seasons, Miller had stolen 27 bases and he pushed that up to 56 – and counting – with 52 of those coming with Reading and then swiping four bases in five games last week against Scranton. Phillies player development director Luke Murton came into the season not expecting too many stolen bases out of Miller and it was Miller who had the last laugh even though he didn’t come into the year looking to set any records.

“I didn’t think about stealing 50 bases this season, to be honest,” said Miller. “I’ve learned a lot about base stealing. When I started the season I just wanted to impact the game as many ways as I can. If my bat’s not going, I can steal some bases or if I have a bad game defensively, then I can impact the game on the bases.”

One issue for Miller this season was to find a consistent stroke. He opened the season with a .203 average in April, but then rebounded in May, and hit .284 for the month. Just when it looked like Miller had his season headed in the right direction, the wheels came off in June and his average for the month fell to just .196 and then went down to .190 for the month of July. Over the past two months, Miller has put up impressive numbers and has pulled his season average up to .261 thanks to a .348 average in August and hitting .294 so far in September.

“I need to be more consistent all season long. I got off to a rough start in Reading and then I’ve been good the last couple of months,” explained Miller. “If I can put together a full year of consistency and figure things out at the plate and start hitting right from the jump, it will be a good year next year.”

The Phillies realize that Miller has some holes in his game, but the fact that he’s 21 and has only been a professional ball player for three seasons now, he’s supposed to have some things to work on. Miller recognizes the need for more consistency and his defense, while not great, is improving and he is at least serviceable at short. When he was first drafted there was talk that he may need to move either to second or third base, but the Phillies insisted that he was going to be a shortstop and they have not moved off of that stance.

Last week, the Phillies announced that Miller was going to be part of their contingent to play in the Arizona Fall League, which features some of the best prospects in baseball. Sometimes, teams use the league to get a player time at a new position, but Miller knows of no plans for him to get any time at any positions other than shortstop. No matter where on the infield the Phillies would move Miller, he would appear to be blocked. The most likely candidate to be replaced would be Bryson Stott at second base, or there had been some talk early in the season about an eventual move of Trea Turner to the outfield.

“I think playing shortstop is just a matter of getting reps out there to keep learning the position. Learning where to be for cutoffs and relays, learning your first step, and which balls to cut off and which ones to stay back on. I just think that the more time that I’m out there I will be able to get more comfortable and able to let my natural reactions take over,” said Miller, who played shortstop in high school.

Because of the Phillies infield situation and the fact that they were willing to move young players in exchange for players who could help them now at the major league level, Miller’s name came up in rumors in each of the past couple of seasons.

“Last year I was (a little concerned), but not so much this year. Being new to it last year, I really didn’t know what to expect, but going through it last year. This year I was a little more eased in my mind; whatever happens is going to happen and I think it will be a good situation no matter what,” said Miller. “I’m excited that I stayed here in Philly, it’s a great organization and I’m really excited to play here (Lehigh Valley) and in Philly. Ultimately I’m glad I stayed here.”

Reading’s season ended this past Sunday and the IronPigs are going to be getting more players who spent time with the Fightins in 2025. Felix Reyes, who played at both outfield positions and both corner infield positions, is also on the Lehigh Valley roster, although he is not in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against Syracuse. Reyes hit .335 with Reading, good enough to win the Eastern League batting title.

“He’s really impressive when he’s hitting. It’s a lot of contact almost every time he’s at-bat and he’s a really tough out,” said Miller of what he saw from the 24-year-old this season at Double-A. “He’s a great teammate and a great guy. I’m thankful that I got to play with him for a full year this year.”

One way to tell if a person is a ball player is to know if they have any superstitions. Well, in early August, Miller cut his longer length hair drastically into a very short cut. At the same time, he started to hit. You guessed it; the hair is staying short.