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鈥檛 have a lot of control, so he wasn鈥檛 one of Waynesburg鈥檚 top guys.
鈥淏aseball was always something I loved, something I enjoyed,鈥� Miller told the Pittsburgh media recently. 鈥淐oming out of high school, that wasn鈥檛 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 鈥� I wasn鈥檛 planning on a job like this.鈥�
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鈥檚 Hospital of Pittsburgh. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. After that everything changed. Able to put on weight after years of struggling, Miller鈥檚 velocity quickly ticked up and he started to perform at a higher level.
From his first pitch his junior year, Miller said, 鈥淚 dominated.鈥� 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.
鈥淚 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,鈥� Miller explained to MLB.com. 鈥淪o at that point, I was taken aback. I thought I might actually have a chance.鈥�
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鈥檚 in the third round of the 2021 Draft.
鈥�(Playing at Gardner-Webb) gave me the platform I needed to showcase the skills that I had. That鈥檚 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,鈥� Miller joked.
At Gardner-Webb he went 8-1 with a 3.30 ERA and struck out 121 in 92 2/3 innings.
鈥淒ifferent team, different round, different priority,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淚 think it all happened for a specific reason.鈥�
The A鈥檚 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鈥檚 manager Mark Kotsay wasn鈥檛 just familiar with his stuff; he鈥檇 been bugging GM David Forst to bring Miller to Oakland.
鈥淚 asked for him a year before he came up,鈥� Kotsay said. 鈥淭hose arms generally play.鈥�
Miller debuted on a Wednesday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum. The A鈥檚 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鈥檚 attention. In his third career start, Miller threw seven no-hit innings against the Seattle Mariners.
But Miller was derailed by another injury. 鈥� a mild UCL sprain. He missed four months.
鈥淭hat sucked,鈥� Miller told MLB.com. 鈥淏ut I avoided anything major, which is good. I tried to find the silver lining in it.鈥�
When Miller returned in September, the A鈥檚 moved him into a multi-inning relief role. Given Miller鈥檚 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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an adjustment,鈥� Miller said about moving to the closer鈥檚 role, while visiting the MLB studios recently.
The flamethrower has become MLB鈥檚 most electric closer.
鈥淚 think I made the transition fairly easily,鈥� Miller told the Pittsburgh media. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 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鈥檝e taken to it pretty well. I enjoy pitching in those moments late in the game.鈥�
Bringing the heat, Miller can鈥檛 help taking a peek at the radar gun.
鈥淵eah, I sneak a couple looks for sure,鈥� Miller stated. 鈥淯sually, it doesn鈥檛 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鈥檛 (check the radar gun) is lying a little bit. Everybody likes to take a little look.鈥�
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鈥檚 recent three-game sweep of the Pirates.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a surreal moment to play against the Pirates,鈥� Miller said on TV. 鈥淭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鈥檚 like I said, very surreal and I鈥檓 extremely grateful to have that opportunity.鈥�
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鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.