Kerri Simpson

[the Sports ON Tap @thesportsontap]

Tonight Garrett Mitchell reached over the wall in center field and took a home run away from the San Diego Padres.

He did it with an insulin pump in his back left pocket.

He fell to the 14th round out of high school because of what is in that pocket.

Start in the third grade.

He told his mother he did not feel well. He was going to the bathroom about once an hour and his stomach hurt.

Shannon Van Dyke had her son's blood sugar tested. A healthy number is around 80. The meter would not give her a number at all. It just read HIGH. The real figure was over 600.

"I remember my heart dropping, being afraid, and not knowing what to do or what our future looked like."

He got the pump at 10. She began setting an alarm for 2 or 3 in the morning to test him while he slept. She has said those years felt like having a newborn.

He kept playing. He carried a bag everywhere with snacks, insulin and sugar in it.

By his senior season at Orange Lutheran High School in California he was one of the best young outfielders in the country, and scouts had him going somewhere in the first three rounds.

He went in the 14th. The Oakland Athletics took him.

His coach at UCLA, John Savage, said the diabetes hurt his draft value. There were, in his words, lingering questions about it.

His agent Scott Boras later put a number on what it cost. Without the condition, Boras said, Mitchell could have been a top 5 pick.

So he turned the Athletics down and went to UCLA instead.

In three seasons there he hit .327. He hit 15 triples, second most in the history of that program, and his 12 in 2019 set a UCLA record and led all of college baseball.

In June of 2020 the Milwaukee Brewers took him 20th overall in the first round. He signed for $3,242,900.

"My hands were shaking."

Now here is the part that tells you what this actually costs him.

On September 13 of this year, Milwaukee took him out of a game in the middle of the afternoon. He was not injured.

"We took him out precautionary. He had high blood sugar."

His manager Pat Murphy added that it happens a lot going from a night game to a day game, and that the team keeps working on it.

That was three and a half weeks ago.

Tonight he robbed a home run in a game San Diego had to win, and Milwaukee is going to the National League Championship Series.

His mother once described the pump like this.

"You will notice it in his back left pocket. It never leaves his body, even when he's playing."

[Rock Point Church @RockPointCville]

We have a few spots open in our Rock Paper Scissors Preschool 3 year old class! Classes start on Tuesday, August 15. For more information or to sign up visit: https://t.co/aMZ99LNfjV

[Ms. Sarah Fadil @SouthmontChoirs]

We are excited to announce our FIRST show choir camp!! June 6-10 For all students finishing grades 3-6! #proudtobeamountie #risingstars #showchoir

[Dr. Shawn Greiner @sgreiner486]

A HUGE Congratulations to the Southmont FFA Chapter as they are named a National Three Star chapter!!! This designation puts Southmont FFA in the top 1.5% of chapters!! #ProudToBeAMountie

[Dr. Shawn Greiner @sgreiner486]

It’s a great fall day at New Market Elementary! Proud of all our pumpkin designers, machine inventors & great students. Always a privilege to see the wonderful things happening in our schools #ProudToBeAMountie

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

Early voting, line was moving great. It’s a beautiful day, get out there! #vote2020
#presidentalelection2020 #America @ Montgomery County Fairgrounds https://t.co/bXI7FKKISp

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

https://t.co/usihaGzlva... https://t.co/OHkP1OzW0N

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

This is kinda scary to thing about. https://t.co/C5GFjzUmQc

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

https://t.co/chU0OIe86P

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

https://t.co/NfsNjpa2RC

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

https://t.co/1YRkbmVYwM

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

Meet the billionaire who’s out to make insulin more affordable https://t.co/FswuYckSYU

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

The One Life Dream That Makes a Girl Blush https://t.co/l0RKe0FIMz

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

https://t.co/KLKVFrP76V

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

I didn’t take a lot of pictures, but here’s the 3rd grade class party I crashed. They did a cute Santa craft, exchanged gifts, played the reindeer game (stuffing balloons in pantyhose) and ate junk food. What more could a 3rd grader ask for?

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

This is pretty much my life right now. I have said this multiple times this week. I used to think people were exaggerating when they talked about how busy life gets as your kids get older. They.weren’t.kidding.
But we’re #livingthedream https://t.co/NjA2qAd8Gh

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

So funny 🤣
Thanks for the entertaining skit, NME staff! Merry Christmas to you all! https://t.co/JX0VRGah6w

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/CDU1T712zt

[Kerri Simpson @KerriASimpson]

ug, Christmas shopping. Anyone else struggling this year?