In the big show: Former Jackets pitcher Miller living the big league dream
The journey of pitcher Mason Miller from NCAA Division III to one being one of the most dominant closers in Major League Baseball is worthy of a Hollywood movie script.
Miller played high school baseball at Bethel Park and began to come on in his junior campaign. He developed into an ace for the Black Hawks in the latter half of 2015, but pitching beyond high school was never something Miller and Bethel Park coach Tony Fisher talked about very much.
Waynesburg University coach Michael Humiston and assistant coach Bill Stough traveled down to West Virginia to catch a youth baseball game one day in the summer. The duo stumbled upon Miller, who pitched and played both third base and outfield during the game. They were both impressed by Miller.
A time was set up for Miller to visit Waynesburg, soon after seeing him play. By the fall of 2016, he was a Yellow Jacket.
Miller did not fare well as a freshman and sophomore. He threw mid-80s and didn无毛视频檛 have a lot of control, so he wasn无毛视频檛 one of Waynesburg无毛视频檚 top guys.
无毛视频淏aseball was always something I loved, something I enjoyed,无毛视频� Miller told the Pittsburgh media recently. 无毛视频淐oming out of high school, that wasn无毛视频檛 something that I really saw myself playing past college. I went to Waynesburg knowing I would play there my freshman year, and that was what was important: Just being on the field, doing what I love. School was first, for sure. I was planning on a job after college 无毛视频� I wasn无毛视频檛 planning on a job like this.无毛视频�
Things changed drastically for Miller following the 2018 season. Miller is a big leaguer because of a failed drug test.
He landed a finance internship at a local hospital following his sophomore year. A required drug screen was flagged as diluted. The lab coordinator ran another test and told Miller there were two possibilities in play. Miller had diluted the sample in an attempt to manipulate the outcome of the test or he had dangerously high blood sugar.
Miller was admitted that day to UPMC Children无毛视频檚 Hospital of Pittsburgh. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. After that everything changed. Able to put on weight after years of struggling, Miller无毛视频檚 velocity quickly ticked up and he started to perform at a higher level.
From his first pitch his junior year, Miller said, 无毛视频淚 dominated.无毛视频� He had a 1.86 ERA, striking out 97 in 67 2/3 innings in a breakout season in 2019. He made two starts in his senior year and scouts started showing up at Waynesburg games.
无毛视频淚 had a lot of scouts come out to those games, which for D-III games was pretty flooring for just about everybody there. It was nothing that any of us had ever seen,无毛视频� Miller explained to MLB.com. 无毛视频淪o at that point, I was taken aback. I thought I might actually have a chance.无毛视频�
Then Covid hit, canceling the rest of the college baseball season and turning the MLB Draft into a short five-round affair.
Miller took advantage of an extra year of eligibility. Miller transferred to Division-I Gardner-Webb for his fifth season. That was enough to get picked by the Oakland A无毛视频檚 in the third round of the 2021 Draft.
无毛视频�(Playing at Gardner-Webb) gave me the platform I needed to showcase the skills that I had. That无毛视频檚 all I could ask for. But yeah, a fifth year of school was me going all in on baseball. I was good after four years,无毛视频� Miller joked.
At Gardner-Webb he went 8-1 with a 3.30 ERA and struck out 121 in 92 2/3 innings.
无毛视频淒ifferent team, different round, different priority,无毛视频� Miller said. 无毛视频淚 think it all happened for a specific reason.无毛视频�
The A无毛视频檚 third-round pick in 2021, Miller shot up to Triple A in 2022 and pitched in the Arizona Fall League. Miller, who has a screw in his right elbow from a youth baseball injury, missed some of the 2022 season with a scapula strain.
Miller was called up last April after throwing just 45 1/3 innings in pro ball. A无毛视频檚 manager Mark Kotsay wasn无毛视频檛 just familiar with his stuff; he无毛视频檇 been bugging GM David Forst to bring Miller to Oakland.
无毛视频淚 asked for him a year before he came up,无毛视频� Kotsay said. 无毛视频淭hose arms generally play.无毛视频�
Miller debuted on a Wednesday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum. The A无毛视频檚 were 3-15 before losing by 10 runs to the Chicago Cubs that day. But the kid touching 102 mph in the second inning had everyone无毛视频檚 attention. In his third career start, Miller threw seven no-hit innings against the Seattle Mariners.
But Miller was derailed by another injury. 无毛视频� a mild UCL sprain. He missed four months.
无毛视频淭hat sucked,无毛视频� Miller told MLB.com. 无毛视频淏ut I avoided anything major, which is good. I tried to find the silver lining in it.无毛视频�
When Miller returned in September, the A无毛视频檚 moved him into a multi-inning relief role. Given Miller无毛视频檚 injury history and how diabetes could impact his recovery time, Kotsay said, it made sense to lighten the workload further by bringing Miller out of the bullpen in 2024.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 an adjustment,无毛视频� Miller said about moving to the closer无毛视频檚 role, while visiting the MLB studios recently.
The flamethrower has become MLB无毛视频檚 most electric closer.
无毛视频淚 think I made the transition fairly easily,无毛视频� Miller told the Pittsburgh media. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 a testament to our group and the coaches who are putting me in positions to succeed and giving me enough time to adjust to this role. I think I无毛视频檝e taken to it pretty well. I enjoy pitching in those moments late in the game.无毛视频�
Bringing the heat, Miller can无毛视频檛 help taking a peek at the radar gun.
无毛视频淵eah, I sneak a couple looks for sure,无毛视频� Miller stated. 无毛视频淯sually, it doesn无毛视频檛 end up being my best one. When I come in (to the clubhouse), somebody will let me know. Or somebody will text me and obviously we have video after the game. I think everybody that says they don无毛视频檛 (check the radar gun) is lying a little bit. Everybody likes to take a little look.无毛视频�
Miller missed facing his hometown team the Pirates last season because of injury, but notched a save and then pitched a scoreless inning in a second stint against the Bucs with a dominant performance in the A无毛视频檚 recent three-game sweep of the Pirates.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a surreal moment to play against the Pirates,无毛视频� Miller said on TV. 无毛视频淭he Pirates are the team I grew up rooting for and going to games. Obviously a beautiful ballpark, it was something I looked forward to doing every summer. But being on the same field as the Pirates now it无毛视频檚 like I said, very surreal and I无毛视频檓 extremely grateful to have that opportunity.无毛视频�
Major League Baseball announced Friday that Miller has been named American League Reliever of the Month for April.
Miller has been dominant coming into the weekend, posting a 1.35 ERA in 13 1鈦�3 innings pitched while converting all eight of his save opportunities. Miller has 28 strikeouts over those 13 1鈦�3 innings and opponents are hitting just .149 against him.
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.