Dylan’s Notes

My first impression of the Mizzou softball team was an overwhelmingly positive one. I attended Saturday’s game when they defeated UA Rich Mountain, a community college in Arkansas, 28-1. Here are my key musings from the showdown, and how much can really translate to the spring. 

Disclaimer

Before I get too much into the weeds of the performance, first I must say that this UA Rich Mountain team is nowhere near the level of SEC competition. You could see it in the physical differences and in the talent on the diamond; plenty of mistakes that you’d never see a Top-25 team make. 

While they did finish 37-17 a season ago, most of them were against schools you never knew existed. Two of their wins came against Arkansas State Mid-South; can’t say I have any idea where that school is besides Arkansas.

With that out of the way, I think there’s still some valuable information to see who is ready to step up for this team. Here’s who stood out to me in my observations.

Emma Jackson: 

After transferring in from East Carolina ahead of the 2026 season, Jackson had an underwhelming first year with the Tigers. She only played in 18 games, batting .167 with no homers. In the exhibition, she looked possessed. 

Jackson hit two home runs; a 3-run bomb and a grand slam. She had a patient approach, exploding to the ball when she saw the right pitch with plenty of power. If Jackson can separate herself as a starting outfielder for Mizzou when the season starts in February, that additional bat raises the ceiling of this team.

Stefania Abruscato:

Abruscato enters the season as one of the Tigers’ leaders, both on the field and in the locker room. As the senior catcher, she carries a large amount of respect and backs it up with her play. 

She continued to prove her worth in the exhibition with a grand slam of her own. While Abruscato is the primary catcher, sophomore Gracie Britton spent most of the game behind the dish. Having two catchers helps take the load of your starter, especially during the early season tournaments when you play five games in three days. 

But when it comes down to crunch time and you need your best lineup, Mizzou is going to put its trust in Abruscato.

Nealy Lamb:

In the circle, the South Carolina transfer started to separate herself. In her one season with the Gamecocks, she made 34 appearances, finishing the season with a 4.37 ERA and 47 strikeouts. 

She looked on pace to shatter her strikeout numbers in the exhibition, recording three Ks across six batters. While she did allow two softly-hit singles, there was never a moment where she didn’t feel in control. 

While Abby Carr and Marissa McCann are projected to be the Tigers’ top two starters, there is certainly a role for Lamb to carve out this season, bringing much-needed depth to Mizzou’s pitching staff.

Karen’s Notes

I was on hand on Sunday to watch the team’s fall ball finale against a school we’ve actually heard of, Iowa, who finished last season with a .500 record overall, and 7-17 in the Big 10 with no wins over Top 25 teams. (To be fair, hardly any of the Big 10 teams were ranked.)

After a bit of a slow start, the Tigers started to pile on the runs in the fourth inning, ultimately ending the 10-inning contest, 7-1. The Tigers collected bombs from Stefania Abruscato, who hit a 2-run shot in the third to make it 2-0, as well as Sidney Forrester, who had a solo shot in the fourth to make it 3-0.

While there were a handful of strikeouts from the Tigers, they also showed a good bit of plate discipline, with Madison Uptegrove working two walks, along with one each from Saniya Hill, Abruscato, Emma Jackson and Middle Tennessee transfer Jana Want. Abby Hay, Forrester, Jackson and freshman Katelynn Knight each went for extra bases, and Addy Waits, who came in in the seventh, recorded singles in both of her at-bats.

Pitching Prevails

Marissa McCann looked strong in her seven innings of work, with six strikeouts and just one walk. After allowing a leadoff triple in the first, she didn’t allow another baserunner until the fifth, when the Hawkeyes were awarded a homerun on a play off the top of the left field wall that Saniya Hill couldn’t quite make a play on. McCann also allowed an additional base hit later, but overall, was extremely effective.

Rylee Michalak took over in the circle in the eighth inning for an inning of work, allowing a base hit.

Nealy Lamb entered in the ninth and pitched two innings, allowing two baserunners in her first inning of work before getting out of the jam, and working in a pair of strikeouts. Like Dylan mentioned above, I think she’ll be helpful to the team this year.

Arizona State transfer Mary Peyton Hodge, reliever Natalie Touchet, and Abby Carr (injury) were not used in this one. Carr is expected to be ready for the season, however.

Saniya Hill:
A good day at the plate for the Tigers’ leadoff hitter was good at the plate. She walked and had two base hits (which during an actual game, might have been scored as errors), as well as a run scored. She’s a good bat to have in this Tiger lineup, and I would expect her to be a mainstay come the regular season. She does still need a bit of work on the fielding aspect — I think both the triple and the homerun were playable, but she didn’t perhaps make the correct read.

Emma Jackson, Part 2:

Dylan already mentioned her above, but a season after being a non-factor, I think she’s set to play a significant role in 2027. On Sunday, while she struck out in her first at-bat, she also had a double and walk in this one. Whether she ends up as an outfielder— she was DP in this one— remains to be seen, but I forecast a different season for her than her first in the black and gold.

Newbies:

Katelynn Knight and Hadley Borders (CF) were the lone starters in Sunday’s game to the best of my recollection. Of Knight’s three at-bats, she recorded a double and was caught stealing (it wasn’t close). Borders had a strikeout and a base hit.

Katie Guilliam came in in the seventh and had two at-bats. She did not reach base, recording a groundout and a liner to short which led to a double play.

I do not think we saw Audrey Cathey.

UP NEXT: The real thing, which I expect to kick off in February, likely in the Sunshine State, as per usual. MU Tigers has not offered an updated schedule at this point. Dylan, Aaron Segal and I will be your Mizzou Softball writing team this season, so stay tuned for updates.

The Milwaukee Brewers are one game away. One win from becoming World Series Champions for the first time in team history.

Pittsburgh’s NL Central rival was the best team in baseball throughout the year, winning 103 games and dominating the competition. 

The Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays meet in the “Small Market World Series” conveniently leading into the most tense labor negotiations the sport has seen in over 30 years. At least unlike 1994, the World Series is being played.

In a world where owners are locked and loaded to argue that the sport is unfair for small market clubs and teams with a payroll disadvantage compared to major markets, the smallest market in baseball will be the last team standing. 

Milwaukee is the smallest media market size across MLB. The Brewers rank 19th in payroll ($146 million) while the Rays rank 28th ($95 million). The Cleveland Guardians clinched a spot in the ALCS despite owning the lowest payroll ($74.2 million).

So, it looks like the sport is in great hands! Not so fast.

I’d like to formally welcome you to one of the greatest outlier seasons in baseball since the turn of the century. 

Since 2000, only three teams have won the World Series with an Opening Day payroll outside the top 15: the 2003 Florida Marlins (25th), the 2015 Kansas City Royals (17th), and the 2017 Houston Astros (17th). Both the Royals and Astros moved into the top half by mid-season. 

10 times a team in the Top 5 of payroll won the World Series. The Dodgers and Yankees combined for five. During that span, major markets like Boston (four) and San Francisco (three) built dynasties while Philadelphia and both Chicago teams hoisted the trophy.

Where’s Cincinnati? Where’s Tampa? Where’s Pittsburgh? Where’s Baltimore? Where’s Oakland/wherever the A’s are playing? 

While baseball shifted after the 1994 strike and free agency became an ultimate spending spree without limitations, small markets began to come to light.

Why should New York have such a distinct advantage over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati for players? Shouldn’t the economic playing field be equal for teams?

A salary cap and floor isn’t an immediate fix to all problems; teams like the Cleveland Browns still find ways to get in their own way every year. But it makes the playing field more fair. Isn’t that what’s best for the fans?

If the NFL had baseball’s system, Josh Allen would have had a nice run with the Bills and would be playing for the New York Giants. Remember that Paul Skenes Yankees jersey I captured in the parking lot on Opening Day two years ago? It’s unfathomable to think of. 

It’s ironic that the year before baseball shuts down to argue over a cap and floor system that the smallest market in baseball makes it look easy.

That shouldn’t rewrite the past or make people forget about 

While the Rays, Brewers, Guardians, and other small market teams have had successful regular seasons and some postseason success, it’s all about hoisting the trophy in late October. Up until this season, the last small market team to win the World Series was the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

The Brewers and Rays are proving it’s not impossible to win without a cap/floor system, but it’s significantly more difficult. The Brewers traded ace Freddie Peralta’s expiring contract to the Mets before the season, knowing they wouldn’t re-sign him. The Rays did the same by trading Brandon Lowe to the Pirates and acquiring assets.

Would the Dodgers do that? Yankees? Mets? Rangers? Braves? Phillies? Cubs? Short answer: no. The smaller market clubs must maximize ROI by making smart trades, analytics, and development. 

The most staggering number of all is what the Dodgers spent compared to what Cleveland spent. LA won 100 games with an estimated payroll of $412 million, over $330 million more than the Guardians, who finished with 85 victories. 

They both ended up in the same place, Cleveland, thanks to a very weak American League, but should any league have that type of payroll difference?

A cap and floor system makes the NFL, NHL, and NBA thrive. In the last 10 years, small markets like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers have won back-to-back cups. The Kansas City Chiefs built a dynasty and sustained it. The Milwaukee Bucks and OKC Thunder won titles.

Spare me the idea that a small market World Series changes the game. It doesn’t, and it shouldn’t. 

Multiple things are true. Can small markets compete? Yes. Is it significantly more likely big markets will win? Also yes. Does market size make any difference in other sports? Nope. So why should it be in pro baseball?

When the curtain comes down in 2026, we don’t know when Major League Baseball will play again. But despite what happened in one single postseason, the need for a cap and floor will never change at all. 

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has been named the 2026 Philanthropist of the Year by the Players Trust, which is the charitable arm of the MLBPA.

The link above has a summary of some of the charity and community work Burger has done. Burger’s daughter, Penelope, has Down’s Syndrome, and much of the work he has done the past two years has focused on causes and issues related to Down’s Syndrome. When he joined the Rangers, he also changed his uniform number from 36 to 21, as Down’s Syndrome results from an individual having an extra Chromosome 21.

The announcement was made as part of the Players Choice Awards, which were announced today. Headlining those awards was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was named the 2026 Most Outstanding Player in the National League, as well as the overall Player of the Year. The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez was the pick for the American League,

Nauseating. Pathetic. Embarassment.

Those are just several of the damning words Adam Schein, host of The Post’s daily “Schein Time” show on YouTube, used to describe the exclusive revelation from former catcher Jorge Posada on “The Show” on Tuesday that he does not feel welcome around the Yankees anymore.

And to Schein, when combined with Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe not connecting with Hall of Famer Derek Jeter amid a career of underachievement, it speaks to an issue among the Bronx Bombers’ 26-man roster.

“So, I think this officially is a clubhouse issue. I think this officially is a player issue,” Schein said Tuesday on his show. “I think that Aaron Judge needs to take control of his own clubhouse. I want to know where Giancarlo Stanton is? Where’s the veteran leadership?

“If Derek Jeter can’t get Anthony Volpe on the phone, if Jorge Posada isn’t welcome, if you don’t want to pick the brain of Tino Martinez, then we’ve got problems. It’s as simple as that.”

Posada, a Yankees legend from 1995-2011, revealed on Tuesday’s show that he feels distant from the only team he played for during his career.

“I don’t think they want me there, to tell you the truth,” Posada said when asked by Joel Sherman about possibly helping the Yankees in the future.

“I don’t feel welcome when I go there, you know? Even in spring training, I don’t feel like — I’m just like, I don’t know, like, I don’t feel welcome. I don’t feel like they want me there, so I don’t go.”

Posada did not pinpoint that feeling to any specific instance or moment, although he called his final season in 2011 “a really tough one.”

The Yankees shifted him away from catcher to designated hitter and reduced his playing time, and Posada posted just a .714 OPS.

“So, it’s just tough to back and feel that again,” he said.

Schein believes that Yankees manager Aaron Boone, general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner are absolved of blame in this lingering Posada situation.

He gives Boone a “free pass,” believing a baseball lifer would not turn his back to legends, and doesn’t think Steinbrenner and Cashman would too reject on an esteemed player like Posada.

Posada has indicated in the past that there was some bad beef with top executives about that final season, while he did not blame then-manager Joe Girardi.

Adding this Posada reveal on top of the Jeter-Volpe non-relationship makes Schein believe that the current Yankees are not doing their part to lean on those with championship pedigree.

“Look at Jorge Posada’s resume. Come on? He doesn’t feel welcome at spring training? You’re telling me Austin Wells couldn’t use talking to Jorge Posada?” Schein said. “You’re telling me Anthony Volpe couldn’t use some kind of direction from Derek Jeter? These are guys who just want to be there, because it seems like they care more about winning than the current Yankee players.”

Schein also noted that this group of Yankees having yet to win a title — and has just one World Series appearance in the Aaron Judge era dating to 2017 — only makes this situation worse.

Posada won five titles during his time in The Bronx, including the franchise’s last World Series in 2009.

“If the Yankees of the current group, if they were winning, we’re not having this conversation but they’re losing and they’re fundamentally unsound, and they play at their worse when it matters the most,” Schein said. “The antithesis of Posada and Jeter and those amazing Yankees teams. That right there, that’s painful. … That makes me sick.

“The fact that Jorge Posada, an all-time great Yankee. Blood, guts, sweat, tears, joy, jubilation, a guy who understands what winning is all about, he doesn’t feeling welcome at spring training, the Yankee clubhouse? Man, and you wonder why this team can’t perform in big spots. You wonder why they can’t perform in extra innings. You wonder why they can’t have a lead in a series against the Tampa Rays. What a joke, an embarrassment, that was nauseating. Absolutely pathetic.”

For months, one question has lingered over the Dodgers.

With team owner Mark Walter facing a federal investigation into his business empire, and having unexpectedly sold his stakes in the Lakers and Chelsea Football Club this summer, would the billionaire businessman consider selling the Dodgers next?

On Tuesday, in an exclusive interview with the California Post, Walter offered a definitive answer.

“We’re going to keep the team no matter what,” he said. “We’re going to be winning for 10 years or more. I think our commitment to do so will be just like it has been in the past. And, you know, we don’t win every year, but we’re going to try to.”

In other words, just as everyone from team president Stan Kasten to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has repeatedly reiterated in recent months, Walter plans on things being business as usual for his iconic baseball franchise.

“I certainly hope we can look forward to winning another World Series next year under my ownership,” he said. “And I think we’re just trying to win consistently, and do so for not just next season, but for the next decade and decades beyond that.”

The team has spent the last couple of months spewing the same sentiment. But those words coming out of Walter’s mouth is notable.

His comments came amid continued speculation surrounding the 66-year-old and his status as the team’s owner and chairman.

Last year, the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating certain affiliated loans made from insurance companies under his control to other businesses he owns.

Weeks after that probe became public in July, he stunningly sold the Lakers to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger at a $12.5 billion valuation –– flipping the franchise barely a year after he had acquired a majority stake in it from the Buss family at a $10 billion valuation.

Later in August, he also began a process with his business partner, Todd Boehly (another member of the Walter-led Guggenheim Baseball Management group that owns the Dodgers), to sell their stakes in Chelsea FC of the English Premier League.

Those moves came amid reports that Walter’s Guggenheim Partners investment firm was trying to raise capital for its insurance operations, and rectify the so-called “affiliated” loans that had drawn the scrutiny of federal investigators and state regulators.

Walter’s holding company, TWG Global, released a statement in late August denying all wrongdoing and reaffirming Walter’s plans to retain ownership of the Dodgers. 

Still, doubts remained about whether his role with the team would indeed remain unaffected.

On Tuesday, while speaking with the Post in a call that also included Friedman, Walter for the first time publicly stated his intention to not only continue owning the Dodgers, but supporting them with the same level of financial resources that have allowed them to set MLB payroll records each of the last two seasons.

“We don’t see any glaring weaknesses that demand our attention, but there’s always room to get better,” he said of the club’s approach this offseason, following an unsuccessful World Series three-peat bid that ended in a sweep to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series this month.

“We’ll explore every avenue we can to make this team stronger,” he added.

Walter declined to address the federal investigation into his insurance companies, saying it was “not appropriate for me to comment while the investigation is ongoing.”

However, he was adamant that the sale of the Lakers had “nothing to do with the Dodgers at all,” and that he wasn’t actively shopping the basketball team until Kushner approached him with a record-setting offer that he agreed to within 72 hours.

Walter also declined to comment on recent reporting from Bloomberg that he is looking to sell the WNBA’s Sparks, but again reiterated that it will have no bearing on his Dodgers’ ownership status.

As one of MLB’s 30 principal owners, Walter will have involvement in the league’s ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement; which are taking place amid a messy labor fight with the MLB Players’ Association that is likely to lead to a lockout this offseason and could threaten the beginning of the 2027 campaign.

While the league has already begun to push for a salary cap, Walter declined to address his stance on the issue. 

What he was confident in was that, regardless of any new (and potentially stricter) spending rules a new CBA might entail, the Dodgers should be well-positioned to continue the run of dominance they have enjoyed as three-time World Series champions, five-time National League pennant winners, and 13-time NL West champions during his 15-year tenure as owner.

“It’s not just spending,” he said. “Our farm system is pretty strong, and that and player development are really big things for us. So I think on any playing field, we’ll still be among the elite teams.”

Friedman echoed that sentiment, pointing to the Dodgers’ organizational track record of success under Walter’s ownership.

“At every turn since I’ve been with the Dodgers, the financial backing and aggressiveness [from Walter] has been seemingly unmatched,” Friedman said, adding: “I think all of us being in lockstep on that has contributed to the success we’ve had looking back, and I think keeps us well-positioned for future success.”

Despite the uncertainties that have surrounded him this year, Walter was insistent that future would continue to feature him as the Dodgers’ owner.

“I really hope that the fans feel how much we appreciate them, because we’re all fans too,” he said. “And this [year] was a kind of bad end to the season for us. But you’ve got to look at how we’ve done every year and really realize they’re gonna come back and support us again next year, because we’re going to be out there fighting again for a World Series.”

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.

No. 33, Sammy Peralta (0.0 rWAR)

Sammy Peralta has played for five different organizations, including two different stints with two teams, since being drafted in the 18th round of the 2019 draft by the Chicago White Sox.

The Rockies became a short stop on Peralta’s MLB journey in 2026 as the 28-year-old reliever made two appearances for Colorado, neither of which went especially well. He recorded a 10.13 ERA in 2.2 innings with two walks, two hit batters and four strikeouts. After 84 days as a Rockie, a tenure that included yo-yoing back and forth from the big leagues to Triple-A Albuquerque.

The Rockies picked up Peralta, who made his MLB debut in May of 2023, on April 4 after the Milwaukee Brewers designated him for assignment. He went straight to Albuquerque before being called up for three days in late April without seeing any action with the Rockies.

After another three weeks with the Isotopes, Peralta was called up again and made his purple debut as an opener against the Texas Rangers at Coors Field on May 19. It didn’t go as planned, however, as Peralta didn’t even make it out of the first inning. He walked the first batter, got a pop-up out and then hit the next batter. He then gave up a single, a double and a walk as the Rangers went up 2-0. He then got Alejandro Osuna looking for his first strikeout with the Rockies to end his first outing.

The Rockies went on to lose the game 10-0. Colorado sent Peralta back to Albuquerque two days later.

By June 7, he was back in Colorado, and made his second appearance on June 11 against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field. This time, he entered the game in the eighth inning. The Rockies were already down 8-3 when Peralta gave up a solo homer to Carson Kelly. However, Peralta also registered three strikeouts, including Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ. He also got Pete Crow-Armstrong to ground out.

But that was the last appearance Peralta would make for the Rockies. He was optioned to Triple-A the next day and designated for assignment on June 21. He cleared waivers and opted for free agency, inking a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels on June 27.

Peralta then made two stints with the Angels to finish out the 2026 season, pitching 20.1 innings over 14 appearances with a 6.20 ERA. He finished 2026 with decent numbers for the Isotopes, posting a 5.06 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, going 7-1 in 21 appearances (two starts) with 24 strikeouts compared to seven walks. Peralta is now playing for the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican League, where he’s played in the past as well.

Peralta has had similar seasons with the White Sox (2019-2024, break, 2024 again), Seattle Mariners (2024), Angels (2025, 2026) and Brewers (2025-2026). A lot of relievers come and go from the Colorado Rockies bullpen and Sammy Peralta became another name on that list in 2026.

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Before we begin looking ahead to 2027, OTM is looking back at 2026, diving into the highs and lows of the roster. Today, we look at a midseason addition to the bullpen.

2026 In a Nutshell

Miller was acquired at the trade deadline in exchange for Marcelo Mayer. With that return, the expectations for Miller were high. The lefty reliever met them at first, dominating over his first 14 appearances. After the honeymoon period, he struggled down the stretch, allowing six earned runs over his final five regular-season appearances and retiring just two of the five hitters he faced in the Wild Card Series.

The Good

Miller’s end of season performance probably left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths, but there’s a lot to like about the lefty going forward. His combination of velocity and horizontal movement from his arm slot is unique, creating a really difficult look for lefties. Those factors combined for a massive ground ball rate and miniscule hard hit rate against the pitch. He also features a wipeout slider that pairs well with it and returned a huge swining strike rate, fueling his 33% strikeout rate against lefties. Those two pitches will allow him to match up favorably against left-handed hitters going forward.

The Bad

Miller has control problems. At the time he was traded to the Red Sox, he had a 15% walk rate in 38 games with San Francisco. Upon his arrival in Boston, he simplified his approach by eliminating his four-seam and changeup from his arsenal. In his first 11 games, he walked just 3 of the 46 hitters he faced (6.5%). Unfortunately, it didn’t last. In the month of September, he walked 9 of 39 (23%). In the postseason, the walks didn’t show up, but he left a sinker over the heart of the plate to Ben Rice that ended up in the bleachers. While it was in the zone, which is often a problem for Miller, it was decidedly not where he wanted to throw it.

The next day, he surrendered a base hit to Cody Bellinger that extended the Yankees’ lead. Miller got crushed for giving it up on back to back days, but I’ll stick up for him and say that one was a perfectly fine pitch, and Bellinger put a good swing on it. That’s baseball.

The control issues are a problem, though, and I can’t defend those.

Weird Fact That I Stumbled Upon In The Writing Process That Doesn’t Really Fit In Any Of The Usual Buckets

Miller was called upon in the fifth inning of both games one and two of the Wild Card Series. In both games, he entered with two outs. In game two, he entered with runners on first and third. During his time with the Red Sox, the only time he entered a game in the middle of an inning was his first appearance, back on August. In every other appearance he made for the team (19 games), he was given a clean inning.

That’s not at all an excuse for the performance, but it is interesting to note that he spent all of August and September pitching in clean innings, and then was put in a new situation in the postseason. I don’t know if that matters, but it’s food for thought.

Best Game or Moment

Miller didn’t have any signature moments, but he was dominant for a time. He threw two scoreless innings in the 13 inning game against the White Sox, striking out three hitters in the process. In late August, he struck out the side on 13 pitches to send the game to extra innings.

The Big Question

Is his control problem fixable? The Red Sox have had success at getting historically wild pitchers such as Aroldis Chapman and Tyron Guerrero in the zone, but couldn’t do the same for Jordan Hicks. If they can get Miller throwing strikes consistently, he’ll be dominant.