Dylan’s Story

In 2010 I graduated High School and was entering the Major League Draft for baseball. I was pretty highly scouted out of high school and ended up being the 14th overall selection by the Milwaukee Brewers. To me this was a dream, or at least the start of tone. Since I was little I had always wanted to play professional baseball and this was the first step to my career. After doing the routine physical with their team doctor, results came back that showed my A1C being through the roof. In 2010, there was a signing deadline for people taken in the MLB draft. The deadline was on the 15th of August and I had not yet signed because of negotiations going on but I had every intention of signing with the Brewers and they were aware of that. Once my blood work came back it showed that I had Type 1 diabetes. I was 18 at the time and wasn’t totally aware of what having diabetes meant for me and neither were the Brewers. They ended up offering me a bonus that was not the same as what we agreed on before the draft and declined, deciding to go to the University of San Diego. I had no idea what to expect with diabetes and was 18 years old so adjusting was hard for me as a freshman. I had lost nearly 40 pounds over the course of my senior year in high school and once I got on medication I gained back the weight pretty fast but it wasn’t necessarily a good weight gain. My performance suffered as I struggled to adjust throughout the year and was becoming discouraged. It took me a solid two years to get a firm grasp on how to deal with Type 1. After three years at USD, I was drafted again by the Oakland A’s and resumed the journey to my ultimate goal. Playing in the minor leagues was a totally different adjustment. Late night bus trips, fast food meals just about every day, club house food that isn’t exactly the best quality, etc. I was in the Oakland A’s minor league system from 2013-2016. I had missed most of 2016 due to an oblique injury, but prior to the injury I had been pitching very well. The A’s sent me to the Arizona Fall League after the season to get some more practice. The Fall League is like a showcase for prospects and a chance for guys like me who missed substantial time during the season. I ended up pitching pretty well during the Fall League and caught the eye of the Chicago White Sox. On December 8, 2016 they selected me in the Rule 5 draft, meaning that I had a chance to make the major league team out of spring training, otherwise I would be sent back to the A’s minor league system. My spring training had its ups and downs but I ended up making the team! I Had finally reached my dream and spent 2017 in the Big Leagues with the White Sox. I did have my struggles throughout the year, but I learned things through the experience that the minor leagues couldn’t have taught me. I was able to live out my dream for a year and now have the same opportunity to make the team again this spring training. A lot of people probably think that having diabetes can be a hindrance and annoying. While that might be true at first, it has become a part of my life. I wake up and brush my teeth and put on my shoes check my blood sugar and get on with my day. Its great that t1dlikeme is available for people to read up on stories about every day people who all have something in common.

Dylan Covey