Dodgers' Shelby Miller proves he's unfixable in disaster first appearance

The Los Angeles Dodgers are known for their ability to not only bring in top-tier talent but to make the most out of players that previously did not have much value. Justin Turner, Max Muncy and Chris Taylor are recent examples of journeyman MLB players that were turned into all-stars in Los Angeles.

Every year the Dodgers seemingly have at least one breakout pitcher that reinvents himself on Mark Prior's pitching staff. Tyler Anderson was the standout last season, joining players such as Ross Stripling, Alex Wood and Evan Phillips.

Andrew Friedman took his biggest swing this past offseason by not only signing Shelby Miller but signing him to an MLB deal. The 32-year-old right-hander has thrown 202.2 innings since 2016 and is sporting a not-so-great 7.02 ERA in that span. If Friedman and Prior could unlock something in Miller then it would be their biggest accomplishment yet.

Well... it did not get off to a great start, as Miller could not even get through a full inning in his Dodgers debut against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Shelby Miller may not last long on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

It did not take very long for Shelby Miller to prove why he does not deserve a spot on the Dodgers' 40-man roster. It would be one thing if this was an established pitcher that had a stinker in his spring debut. That is not the case with Miller.

Sure, it is only his first appearance of spring but Miller does not deserve any kind of benefit of the doubt. Players have to earn a benefit of the doubt and Miller is probably the last person in the league deserving of that kind of confidence. He has the highest ERA in the league since 2016 (min. 200 IP), after all.

There is just far too much talent on the pitching staff to justify having Miller on the 40-man roster unless he turns it around quickly. If Miller is already pitching like this then it is not even worth giving him the reps in AAA to figure it out. Those are innings that could go to young pitchers or reclamation projects that could actually work out.

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Heck, fellow 32-year-old Robbie Erlin is also a reclamation project that the Dodgers are trying to unlock. Erlin was able to work a scoreless inning with a strikeout right before Miller's collapse, making Miller look even worse in comparison.