Jordan Hicks is unique for two reasons. First, he's one of the hardest throwing pitchers in Major League Baseball. His fastball has been clocked as high as 105 MPH and his sinker regularly eclipses the 100 MPH threshold. In fact, he shares the record for fastest pitch in MLB history (105.1 MPH) with legendary flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. Second, he is one of the only MLB players with Type 1 diabetes. Hicks learned about his condition during his junior year of high school and battled through uncertainty with few role models as he learned to live and play baseball with Type 1 diabetes. He doesn't want that to be the case for others. He has embraced the nickname "Diabetic Phenom" and strives to show the younger generation that you can be diabetic and remain a phenomenal athlete. “I just want to get my voice out there for younger kids -- [one] that I didn't really have to look up to, in a way,” Hicks has said. “I think I owe that to kids.”
