‘Living the dream’

Owen Miller of Fredonia is loving his life as a Double A minor league baseball player, but having a sport for a full-time job isn’t as glamorous when people learn the details.

“We play 140 games in about 150-some  days. They’re blown away when we talk about the schedule, the travel,” Miller said.

“You’ve got to learn how to sleep on buses. There are nights we roll in at 5 or 6 in the morning.”

Miller’s first day off this season was on Easter, but even that came with a nine-hour bus ride.

“You’re eating late and you’ve got to keep up with your weight lifting, your diet. You have to watch what you eat. You’re stretching, everything has to be on point,” he said.

Miller, 22, plays in the Texas League for the San Diego Padres’ affiliate, the Amarillo Sod Poodles. He didn’t know what his team’s nickname was before he joined the team. It’s Texas slang for a prairie dog.

“A lot of people ask us about that. They say Soddies. That’s easier.”

Miller is primarily a shortstop but is learning second base and has played some third base.

In spring training, he had a chance to play in four games with the Padres. He hit a home run in the ninth inning of his first game and once entered a game for star Manny Machado at third base.

He got to rub shoulders with major leaguers Fernando Tatis Jr., Ian Kinsler, Will Myers and Eric Hosmer.

“It was cool hanging out with them in the dugout,” Miller said. “Just watching them every day, how they go their preparation. They’re very focused when they’re fielding or hitting. I could definitely tell it was different. They were locked in with certain things.”

At the Double A level, Miller said he is adjusting to a higher level of play. Players are older and more polished, and pitchers put more movement on the ball and throw harder — 95 mph is common and Miller has a couple of teammates who throw 100 mph.

“You’re closer to the big league level than in the lower minors,” Miller said.

Miller was a standout shortstop at Illinois State, replacing future St. Louis Cardinal Paul DeJong, and was drafted by the Padres with the sixth pick in the third round (84th overall) last year.

Within days, he joined the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Padres’ Class A short-season affiliate in Pasco, Wash. After leading the team in hitting with a .335 average, he was named to the Northwest League all-star team and was then promoted to the Padres’ Class A affiliate, the TinCaps in Fort Wayne, Ind.

At the end of the season, he was assigned to the San Antonio Missions for the playoffs. That franchise since moved to Amarillo, and Miller stayed with the team.

He returned home for the offseason, working out several times per week with a trainer. A couple of people from the Padres flew in to watch him. He left Feb. 18 for spring training in Peoria, Arizona, before being sent to Amarillo on April 1. He shares an apartment with a teammate.

The Sod Poodles have a brand new stadium and the city supports the team, he said. A couple of weekend games have been sold out.

“We’re like celebrities in the town,” he said.

While Texas gets hot during the summer, Amarillo is in the Panhandle and Miller said temperatures for some games have been in the 40s — not unlike Wisconsin.

Miller welcomes the heat.

“Definitely, warmer weather is better for baseball. I know that from playing in the Midwest my whole life,” he said.

While he travels often, there is little time for sightseeing.

“Really, all we’re doing is playing baseball,” Miller said. “I’ve been having fun, living the dream.”

As of Tuesday, Miller is hitting .286 in 24 games this season, second on the team among players who have played at least 23 games. Miller has four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored. He is second on the team with 28 hits.

Miller comes from a baseball family. His younger brother Noah is a star for Ozaukee High School’s baseball team and his cousin Matt also plays for the Warriors.

To follow the Sod Poodles, visit www.milb.com/amarillo.