Cleveland Indians: 5 Key Spring Training Storylines to Follow

Andrew Miller broke out as the face of the Indians during the 2016 postseason, being able to appear at any point in a game and give his team multiple innings whenever needed.

His intense October workload cannot be replicated during any month of the regular season, but he will be in a competitive scenario next month when he pitches for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

This may worry some Indians fans, who do not want their star reliever to be overworked so early in the year. However, the competition will just essentially replace the work he would see in spring training. The games will mean more, but Miller is an experienced pitcher who will understand the stage and be sure to not do too much.

He will also not be called upon to pitch two innings at a time, as the Team USA roster will have a bit more left-handed talent than what the Indians had last season.

So while it is not ideal to have a star pitcher playing meaningful baseball in March, Miller’s presence in the tournament should only help in his preparation for the upcoming season. It will also give fans a chance to see the star lefty on the national stage before the regular season even begins, which will be a nice treat for fans wanting to see Miller make opposing hitters look foolish at the plate.