(Photo by Caitlin O’Hara/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Chesapeake alum Brennan Miller on the road as MLB umpire

Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life, is the old saying. Former Chesapeake Skipjack Brennan Miller is working hard in the sport that he loves as a Major League Baseball umpire.

A day at work for Miller means being on the field in the country’s most iconic ballparks like Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

“I truly feel like I have the best job in the world. I’m very lucky to be able to do this for a living,” Miller said. “In addition to having a career in baseball, I get to travel and see so much of the country.”

Miller, a 2009 graduate of South County High School in Northern Virginia, was recruited to play for Chesapeake when Skipjacks baseball coach Frank Szymanski saw him play. Though he was contacted by other colleges, Miller said he connected with Chesapeake’s coach.

“I’m an introvert by nature, so I need to feel some level of trust in order to feel like I can be myself,” said Miller. “From the start, I felt like I could trust Coach Frank. I felt that he would look out for me and he did.”

Miller moved to Queen Anne’s County and became a student athlete at Chesapeake College, where he majored in Criminal Justice.

“Brennan brought durability as a pitcher and commitment as a teammate to Chesapeake. Hard work and determination were his strong points,” Szymanski said. “We’re really proud of him and how he accomplished his goal of becoming a major league umpire.”

Szymanski, Miller said, taught a valuable lessons about communications.

“I saw that Coach Szymanski brought the same respect and courtesy into every interaction with every person. Even if he was angry or emotional, he treated everyone with respect and that makes a difference, even in the tough conversations,” Miller said.

That consistency was put to the test earlier in Miller’s umpiring career. He was umpiring a community college where his old team, Chesapeake College, was playing.

“It was a tough call and big call. I had to call it against Chesapeake. It was hard, but I had to do it. That was my job,” Miller said. “Coach Szymanski came over to me to talk about the call. He was mad and pretty emotional, but he treated me with the same respect he always showed. That was a real lesson for me.”

As a teenager, Miller umpired Little Leagues and continued to move up the ladder as he progressed n his own career, eventually working as an official for community college games. With encouragement from his father, Miller decided to take a chance and try out for the MLB and was selected for a coveted spot.

Now In his sixth season working MLB games and in his second year as a full-time Major League umpire, Miller said he enjoys his work, meeting new people across the country and exploring the local food culture in each city he visits. He named Chicago and Seattle as the cities he especially likes to visit.

Having a career in the sport he loves is a gift, Miller said, but it does come with challenges. The most difficult challenge, Miller said, is being away from home so often during the regular season and spring training. Working the playoffs can further extend an umpire’s time away from home.

“This is the best job in the world. However, the fact is that you will miss things at home. You can plan to do the major things in the off-season, but it’ll always be hard to miss the little things at home that sometimes can be taken for granted,” he said.

Miller and his fiancée are currently in the early stages of planning their wedding, which will be in the off-season of 2025.

Chesapeake College Director of Advising and former Skipjack Daniel Miller (no relation) is proud of his teammate’s big league success.

“Brennan and I were teammates on the baseball team during the 2010 season. Brennan was a great pitcher for our squad, but an even better individual off the field. He always had a team first mentality and took care of his brothers on and off the field. He has put countless hours into perfecting his craft as an umpire in professional baseball,” Daniel Miller said. “Being able to watch a friend, former teammate, and former Skipjack on National television is such a surreal feeling and I know how proud we are at Chesapeake of Brennan’s accomplishments. I know he will continue to do great things in Major League Baseball and will continue to represent himself, his family and our Skipjack family to the highest standard.”