Blink And You'll Miss Him

Ian Miller is quick.

In fact, Ian Miller is so speedy that you might not have even seen him in 2020.  While the fleet-footed outfielder is celebrated for his fast-twitch muscles, his MLB tenure last season lasted through exactly one pinch-running appearance in a single game.  He didn't even get to attempt a stolen base either.  Talk about "blink and you missed him!"

Nevertheless, quick though he may be, he did not sneak by Wrigley Roster Jenga and my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.  No sir.  When I read that the speedster had been called up to the Major League roster - right before the trade deadline - I immediately pounced on saved Ebay listing, like a certain coyote chasing after a certain roadrunner.  Only, in this instance, I was able to catch the card and had exactly no anvils dropped on my head.  It was as if I knew that he'd be streaking back to the alternate training site as soon as trade reinforcements were brought into the fold.

I'd saved the listing for this 2017 Grandstand Texas League All-Star single shortly after I read about his NRI.  I always do research on what's available for such potential Cubs, just in case, and I was quite pleased to find a MiLB single at a reasonable price.  After all, such pieces usually command a bizarre premium on the secondhand market and Miller doesn't have much of a mainstream cardboard footprint.

While, as of now, Miller's Cubs career has flashed by about as speedily as possible, the entirety of his Major League tenure hasn't been much slower.  Prior to his one-game cameo in Chicago, the 28-year old's only other time spent in the Bigs came with the Twins for a paltry 12 games in 2019.  It seems that the eight-year professional is constantly zooming through towns!

In all seriousness, Miller is a post-hype prospect that comes with a weak bat and plus speed, making him an excellent candidate for a September call-up on a contending team, just as he was used in the Twin Cities.  I imagine the Cubs invited him to Spring Training last season with the intentions of employing the same strategy - they almost always stash a speedster for the pennant drive - but the whole COVID thing kinda tossed everything about.  Nevertheless, due to a rash of outfield injuries, he still managed to sneak into that one game before getting designated for assignment.  The team would eventually acquire a different base stealer, but that's a tale for another day.

Being that Miller's time spent in a Cubs uniform lasted less than your average trip to the bathroom, I thought that the Texas League Ebay purchase would represent the player on a permanent basis in my CATRC tome.  Thus, imagine my surprise when I saw this on the checklist for Topps' 2020 Update set:

Initially, I was taken aback by Miller's inclusion in the product.  Hell, I sure wasn't against it - in an ideal world, I want every player who appears in Major League game to have a card in that year.  That being said, I was completely blindsided by the one-game cameo Cub making the cut.  

Although, upon further thought, the checklist for Update has usually been finalized by mid-summer and with the COVID abbreviated schedule last season, we were still in "Summer Camp" mode at that point.  Thus, NRI's and waiver claims that otherwise would be completely ignored by Topps and maybe even cut before the start of the regular season were needed to fluff out the checklist.  This is likely why otherwise unexpected Cubbie inclusions like Miller, Josh Phegley, and Jharel Cotton made it into packs, the latter of which never even appeared in a game for the Cubs.  I mean, even the picture dates from training camp.  It also probably didn't hurt that Miller was on fire in Cactus League play and appeared to be a dark horse candidate to break camp with the Big Leaguers before the shutdown began.

Like I said, I'm not complaining - I'm thrilled to be able to have short-termers like Miller and Phegley properly repped in my CATRC.  Although, now I wish I'd been a little more patient with the Ian hunt.  Oh well.

Ian displaying his skillset during Spring Training 2020.  Photo: Ralph Freso/Getty Images

There may be even more Cubs cards of Ian printed yet, as it was announced earlier in the winter that the Cubs are bringing him back into the fold, once again on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.  Seeing as the team currently has just three outfielders on their whole 40-man roster, the path to extended playing time in Chicago looks pretty damn clear for Miller in 2021.  You might say that he is definitely in the "running" for a regular spot on the roster! *This post was drafted before the Cubs signed Joc Pederson*

At any rate, to Mr. Miller the speedster, here's an ironically belated welcome to the Windy City, goodbye from the Second City, and welcome back again to Chicago from Wrigley Roster Jenga!