Programming note: Catch Brodie Brazil's full interview with Mason Miller on "All A's" at 5:30 p.m. PT Saturday before "A's Pregame Live" and immediately following postgame.
While watching Athletics closer Mason Miller dominate ninth innings with triple-digit fastballs and nasty offspeed pitches, it's hard not to wonder how he hasn't been a well-known prospect for several years.
The truth is, Miller's development has been far from linear -- for reasons out of his control.
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In an interview with NBC Sports California's Brodie Brazil for "All A's," Miller discussed his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in college and how he has worked through that to become an elite MLB closer.
He always has had the 6-foot-5 build that lends itself to pitching, but Miller struggled to put on weight throughout high school and into college before his diagnosis. During his sophomore season at Waynesburg University, Miller lost about 30 pounds.
"I had an idea something was going on," Miller told Brazil. "Towards the end of the semester in the spring, I took a drug test for an internship that summer, and they thought my urine sample was diluted."
However, instead of his sample being intentionally watered down to avoid a negative test, the cause was Miller's blood sugar levels being far above normal.
Athletics
He then was sent to the emergency room, where he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Whereas Type 2 diabetes typically develops in older people as a result of lifestyle, Type 1 diabetes is more genetic and shows up earlier in life.
"[Doctors] said that, at the level I was at, I could have been within a couple weeks ... essentially a coma because of how high my blood sugar levels were," Miller revealed. "It was a shock. ... Just based on what I was doing and being as thin as I was, I didn't think that was something I could be diagnosed with."
Ironically, the COVID-19 pandemic ended up being beneficial for Miller. That year without baseball -- for many prospects -- helped him catch back up to his peers.
"I pitched in 2019, after I got diagnosed the previous year, and I had a really good year. And then 2020 just shut the world down, really for baseball players across the game, and gave everybody an opportunity to train," Miller explained. "I was able to take advantage of it, as many other guys were."
As somewhat of a late bloomer on the mound, perhaps the biggest benefit of the pandemic for Miller was receiving an extra year of college eligibility. He spent that season as a graduate transfer at Gardner-Webb University, helping him develop into a third-round selection by Oakland in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Since joining the A's, Miller has had the chance to talk with other fellow Type 1 diabetics in the MLB -- including Oakland teammate Scott Alexander and Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks -- about their own health experiences. Though "The Reaper" brings fear to opposing batters on the mound, he's focused on being an advocate off the field for those dealing with similar conditions.
"It just transcends the world. It affects a lot of different people in a lot of different ways," Miller said of diabetes. "So, just being in the place I am and having this platform, I think it's a unique opportunity for me."
It only has been six years since Miller was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and he already is an All-Star in his second MLB season. A's fans have to be excited to see how much more progress the budding star can make over the next six years.