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Mason Miller Faces A Unique Obstacle When He Pitches
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- Mason Miller Faces A Unique Obstacle When He Pitches
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
We all know Mason Miller is an incredible athlete who consistently throws over 100 mph, but one thing a lot of people don't know about the San Diego Padres closer is that he's also a Type 1 diabetic.
Miller was diagnosed with the disease when he was 20 years old, and he's had to make some unique adjustments that were chronicled by Dennis Lin of The Athletic, who also talked to fellow diabetic and outfielder Garrett Mitchell of the Milwaukee Brewers for his remarkably illuminating piece.
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The Padres closer sees dealing with the disease as part of his responsibility as a role model, which is a typical Mason Miller reaction. He makes it a point to tell the kids he meets that diabetes isn't something that holds him back, and the same is possible for them.
Both Miller and Mitchell wear a glucose monitor from a San Diego based company called Dexcom U, which did a survey that indicated that 54 percent of those who suffer from the disease end up giving up sports early because of issues managing the problems that come with it.
Miller said he faced skepticism about it when he was drafted, adding that it sometimes affected where different teams put him on their draft board. He and Mitchell both have meticulous routies to deal with it, and his so-called "cheat day" involves allowing himself a single slice of pepperoni pizza.
The closer also uses fruit bars to keep his blood sugar up, and he's gotten used to pitching with his blood sugar is higher than optimal, according to Lin. The "bigger danger" is low blood sugar, which happened to Miller in a college game, and he added that climate plays a big role in how much insulin he needs to take.
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Miller tells the kids he meets who are also Type 1 diabetics that they're never going to have it all figured out, and while the technology and resources he has access to make it easier to manage his condition, he calls it an "imperfect science."
Mitchell said that former big league outfielder Sam Fuld was a role model for him, as Fuld was a type 1 diabetic who had an eight-year career in the big leagues. Miller didn't mention having a role model in the piece, but he does have an extensive support system he leans into, and that support system has allowed him to have an all-world season for San Diego as he continues to prove that he can be an elite athlete despite having Type 1 diabetes.
