Phillies and ‘Bamboo’ Brad Miller close to a deal, source says
The Phillies are expected to sign Miller next week to a major-league contract. He'd be a valuable lefthanded hitter off the bench. He just needs to find a new bamboo plant.
Brad Miller left his bamboo plant two years ago in Philadelphia as it would’ve been difficult - and pricey - to ship the large porcelain vase home to Florida.
He hit 12 homers that summer for the Phillies, rejuvenated his career a year after finishing his season on crutches following major surgery, and briefly became a folk hero when the bamboo he purchased in Chinatown received credit for a winning streak.
“This is its rightful home,” Miller said during the final weekend of the 2019 season. “You have to keep watering it and add some wins to it.”
Miller and his plant went their separate ways after the 2019 season. The 31-year-old utility player spent last season in St. Louis while the bamboo was removed from the Citizens Bank Park clubhouse. But now Miller is close to returning.
The Phillies, a source said, are nearing a deal with Miller, who is expected to sign a major-league deal next week. MLB Network reported the deal is expected to be worth between $3 million and $3.5 million.
Miller hit .232 last season with .807 OPS in 48 games with the Cardinals, mostly playing as the designated hitter. He has a .510 slugging percentage over the last two seasons and would give the Phillies a lefthanded-hitting bench player who can also play the infield and outfield corners. He’d be expected to play the same role he excelled in two seasons ago. He’ll just have to find a new bamboo plant.
“I loved it,” Miller said about his time in Philadelphia. “Honestly, it’s been one of my favorite environments that I’ve been in. We talk about it all the time with the guys who have been to other places like, ‘Man, this is a great environment.’ I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this. I’ve enjoyed wearing the Phillies uniform and playing here every day. It’s been awesome.”
Miller hit 30 homers in 2016 with Tampa Bay, but his next two seasons were slowed by injuries. He underwent core-muscle surgery after the 2017 season to reattach his ab muscles and had surgery after 2018 to repair a torn hip labrum and microfracture.
Miller didn’t receive a contract for 2019 until two weeks into spring training when the Dodgers signed him to a minor-league deal. Miller opted out of that deal at the end of camp and spent the first two weeks of the regular season with the Indians before being designated for assignment despite leading the team in OPS.
Finally healthy, Miller latched on to the Yankees’ triple-A team and produced for seven weeks before being traded in June to the Phillies. He hit .263 for the Phillies over 66 games with a .941 OPS. He had two multi-homer games and finished the season in an everyday role after being acquired to be a bench player.
But he was remembered most for the lush plant that sat in an ornate blue-and-white pot in the center of the team’s clubhouse.
Two weeks after joining the Phillies, Miller bartered with a shopkeeper in Chinatown to lower the price on the store’s largest bamboo plant. The Phillies had lost seven straight games and Miller thought the plant could bring some luck. It was a trick he learned in the minors. The Phillies won four straight games and stayed in playoff contention until September. The bamboo plant - and the player who purchased it - almost turned the season around. Two years later, it looks like Miller and the Phillies will try it again.
“I hope it had some more wins, but I look back at that time and it’s part of who I am,” Miller said. “I wanted to come here and bring some energy, I want to bring some enthusiasm. We had some pretty cool wins after I brought in the bamboo.”