D-backs’ Wade Miley not living off of ’12 success
Apr 2, 2013, 12:12 AM | Updated: 12:30 am
There’s no other way to put it — Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Wade Miley had a magical 2012 season.
As a rookie, Miley not only broke into the D-backs’ rotation, he was the most consistent member of it. The 24-year-old pitcher won a team-high 16 games, represented the Diamondbacks at the All-Star Game in Kansas City and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
But all that success hasn’t gone to the Louisiana native’s head, as he explained to Doug and Wolf on Arizona Sports 620 Monday.
“You just kind of put it behind you,” Miley said when asked about his 2012 campaign. “You get the confidence off of it but you can’t live off of last year, you have to put that behind you and just move forward.
“Everybody talks about the sophomore slump — but you just can’t worry about that, you can’t let those things bother you. You just go out and pitch like you have your whole life and hope for the best.”
Miley, whose 16 wins were the sixth-most in the National League, realizes that there’s now pressure on him to deliver once again.
“You can’t get caught up in all that stuff, trying to be better than you were last year,” he said. “Obviously, you want to be better than you were last year at the end of the day, but regardless, you just want to go out and give your team a chance to win.”
Despite being a proven commodity who’s no longer a rookie, Miley doesn’t expect too much to change in the clubhouse.
“I think I’m still going to get screwed with a little bit,” he said. “We don’t have that many young guys, I’m still on the bottom of the pole.”
Miley is slated as the Diamondbacks’ fourth starter to begin the season and will get the ball Friday night in the opener of a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
