Andrew Miller had a long career. He was initially used as a low-rotation starter, and he threw for Florida and Detroit, but he was not terribly effective. His third team, Boston, moved him to the bullpen, and eventually, the lanky 6’ 7” southpaw found his groove. The Red Sox traded the soon-to-be Free Agent to Baltimore, and in 2015, he signed with the New York Yankees.
Miller thrived in pinstripes and was used deep in games. He won the closer’s role, saving 36 Games, finishing tenth in Cy Young voting and winning the American League Reliever of the Year Award. With Ardolis Chapman and Dellin Betances, the Yankees had an embarrassment of riches in the pen, and as good as Miller became, he was traded mid-season to Cleveland for four players. He finished the regular season with a 10-1 Record, a 1.4.5 ERA and a WHIP under 0.700. An All-Star for the first time while still in New York, he was ninth in Cy Young Voting, and he was vital in Cleveland’s playoff success, winning the ALCS MVP off of 7.2 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits.
An All-Star again in 2017 (4-3, 1.44 ERA, 0.830 WHIP), Miller was not as effective after but still played until 2021, with his final three years in St. Louis.
Miller appeared in 612 Games over 16 Seasons with 979 Strikeouts.
Dan Bailey had a nice ten-year career in the NFL, the first seven of which were with Dallas where in 2015 he went to the Pro Bowl and led the NFL in Field Goal Percentage (93.8). In four of his seasons, Bailey exceeded 93 in Field Goal Percentage and accumulated 1,130 Points.
Alex Avila was famously nicknamed the "Titanium Catcher" by fans for his ability to endure getting hit by foul tips. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to concussions and injuries.
Avila had his best years with his first team, the Detroit Tigers. He made his debut with the team in 2009 and became their primary catcher in 2011, which turned out to be the best year of his career. That year he was an All-Star and Silver Slugger, and achieved career-highs in every major metric, including 137 hits, 19 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .508 slugging percentage. He was even 13th in MVP voting. Avila was on track to become a baseball star, but unfortunately, he was plagued by injuries and became a regular on the injured reserve list.
After 2011, Avila struggled to stay healthy. When he was able to play, he was still a good defensive player, but his offense never quite recovered. He never had another season with at least 100 hits. He continued to play for Detroit until 2015 when he signed with the Chicago White Sox. He briefly returned to Detroit before being traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played for Arizona, Minnesota, and Washington before retiring with 714 hits. Unfortunately, his injury struggles mean that he is unlikely to make the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame.