LAKEWOOD — The Philadelphia Phillies are enjoying a moment at the center of the baseball universe. They currently hold the best record in the National League and are inching back and forth with the Guardians and Yankees for the best record in baseball.
But the future isn't now — the organization has a good-looking long game with strong prospects in the farm system. And for the present moment, the center of the Phillies' baseball future is ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood.
The BlueClaws currently have three of the organization's top seven prospects, including the team's last two first-round picks. 2023 first-rounder Aidan Miller has swiftly adapted to the professional ranks and is currently listed as the 46th best prospect in all of baseball, and now he's brought his talents to the Jersey Shore. It's also the Florida native's first professional baseball experience away from home.
"I lucked out when I got drafted by the Phillies," said Miller. "Their Low-A team was in Clearwater, 30 minutes away from home so pretty much right in my backyard. Driving home every night, getting to sleep in my own bed still. And then getting called up here to Jersey and really my first time being away from home, but it's been a lot of fun."
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Aidan Miller, George Klassen both promoted from Clearwater Threshers to Jersey Shore BlueClaws
Miller and George Klassen, both 2023 draft picks, were called up from the Single-A Clearwater Threshers this month after excelling. Now, the duo are roommates playing in the backyard of the big league Phillies.
"We get along really well, he's my buddy," Miller continued. "Learning a whole new team, whole new coaching staff, and playing in a new state. It's been a lot of fun."
It's been an incredible start to professional baseball for the duo after both saw chunks of time in their amateur careers disrupted by injuries. Miller didn't play his senior season at J.W. Mitchell High School due to a hand injury, out of an abundance of caution as he was trending towards becoming a first-round pick. Klassen's injury was more serious and lingered through his last two seasons at the University of Minnesota.
"My first year at Minnesota, I had Tommy John (surgery). So that year is completely out of the books," said Klassen. "My first real year pitching since 2019 was last year. So it's just kind of like figuring out what works, getting the confidence back and feel back."
It's back, and it's better than ever. Klassen burst onto the scene in Single-A, winning Player of the Month for April and finishing his time there with a 0.71 ERA and 57 strikeouts in nine starts and 38 innings pitched. In his final season at Minnesota, he had 5.72 ERA and 49 strikeouts in a little over 56 innings with the Gophers. He's continued to be effective in his first two starts with the BlueClaws with only two earned runs and 13 strikeouts over nine total innings.
"It's hands-on every day," said Klassen. "It's from camps in the fall, camps in the spring, camps in the winter. It's like you've got people there every day with strength, nutrition. So it's kind of like all the information, take it in and how you use it and how it's gonna help you develop."
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Adjusting to life at the Jersey Shore
The roommates' development has continued to progress at the High-A level. Miller has been 9-for-41 with a home run and five RBIs in his first 12 games with Jersey Shore heading into Wednesday night's matchup with the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
"My love for the game, just eager to be back out there playing," said Miller of his impressive pace since embarking on his professional career. "I put a lot of work in the rehab process and did a lot of draft workouts and I felt 100 percent probably two or three months before the draft, so yeah I felt like myself again."
Both players are adjusting to life at the Shore, although Miller's family used to visit during summer vacation. It's certainly a nice locale to begin moving through the ranks of the minors before hopefully reaching Philadelphia in the near future.
"I haven't done too much outside of the field, really just trying to get settled in more," said Miller. "I went to the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore, I think it was Point Pleasant. That was pretty cool."
Both players were reminded of home, even the Wisconsin native Klassen. It has been an environment reminiscent of his childhood summers in the Midwest.
"Florida, it's like complete culture shock. I mean, you got the ocean and palm trees," said Klassen. "Up here, it feels like home a little bit. Same summer weather as Wisconsin, same scenery."
And of course, it's exciting that the Big Show is nearby as a reminder of what the future might hold. But the BlueClaws are battling the Grasshoppers for the top spot in the South Atlantic League, and that competition is what drives the star prospects.
"With the whole prospect rankings, I try not to look too much at that stuff. Just stay in the present," said Miller. "As a team, we just want to make the playoffs...to start the second half looking to get a minor league championship would be really cool. We feel short last year down in Clearwater, so if we can do that this year (with the BlueClaws) it'd be really awesome."
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Phillies' prospects Aidan Miller, George Klassen thriving at NJ Shore
