Introduction
John Barney "Dots" Miller (September 9, 1886 – September 5, 1923) was a professional baseball player who played first base and second base in Major League Baseball from 1909 to 1921. He would play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Career
Miller started his major league career with the Pirates. In his rookie season, he drove in 87 runs and helped Pittsburgh win the National League pennant and their first World Series title. Miller was the regular second baseman from 1909 to 1911 but then moved over to first base.
Reportedly, he got the nickname "Dots" after someone asked Miller's thick-accented teammate Honus Wagner where they could find John Miller. Wagner pointed to Miller and replied, "Dots (That's) Miller."
In 1913, Miller was traded to the Cardinals, where he continued his good hitting and fielding for the next few years.
In 1918 Miller's career was interrupted while he served in World War I.
Miller became manager of a Pacific Coast League team, the San Francisco Seals, in 1922. He led the club to the pennant in his first year. The next season, he fell ill with tuberculosis and died on September 5.
Soccer
Miller was also noted as a soccer player.