Doug Million

Douglas Lloyd Million

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Sarasota High School

• Born October 13, 1975 in Fort Thomas, KY USA
• Died September 23, 1997 in Mesa, AZ USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Doug Million won the Baseball America High School Player of the Year Award in 1994. Million, a lefty for Sarasota High School, had been 13-1 with a 1.08 ERA a year earlier. In 1994 he went 12-2 with a 1.21 ERA and fanned 149 batters in 87 innings. He led the team to a national title. A couple of weeks later, he was the 7th pick in the 1994 amateur draft, by the Colorado Rockies, and signed a $905,000 contract.

Million was assigned to the AZL Rockies and went 1-0 in 3 starts, striking out 19 batters in 12 innings, while walking 3 and allowing 8 hits. He had a 1.50 ERA and was quickly promoted to the Bend Rockies. In A ball, Million went 5-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 10 starts, though he struck out only 41 in 52 innings while walking 26. He was named the #3 prospect in the league in a poll of Northwest League managers. Baseball America named him the top prospect in the Rockies organization.

Assigned to the high-class-A Salem Avalanche in 1995, Million went 5-7 with a 4.62 ERA and struck out 85 in 111 innings, while walking 79. He was downgraded to the #5 prospect in the system.

In 1996 the 20-year-old pitcher went 7-5 with a 2.53 ERA for Salem and struck out 99 in 107 innings, while allowing just 84 hits and cutting his walk total to 60. League managers picked him as the #6 prospect in the circuit, Baseball America rated his breaking pitch as the best in the league and he was promoted to the Eastern League. For the New Haven Ravens Million went 3-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 10 starts. He fanned 40 and walked 40 in 54 innings. Doug was rated the #8 prospect in the Colorado organization at year's end. He went 2-3 with a 3.27 ERA in the 1996 Hawaii Winter League, finishing 5th in ERA, second among American performers.

Million pitched for the same two teams in 1997. For Salem he was 5-9 with a 5.12 ERA and he was 0-5 with a 9.23 for New Haven. Overall he allowed 168 hits in 137 innings, walked 91 and struck out 77 and tied for the Rockies organization lead in losses. He died of an asthma attack that fall.