2027 St. Louis River Walkers: Looking at another postseason run

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Well, we've reached the brink of another spring training.
The St. Louis River Walkers are coming off another successful season, albeit one which ended two victories shy of another World Series championship.
The offseason, and the ownership with the slashing of the budget has not been kind.
2026 NL Cy Young winner Alex Faedo and 2026 National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Edwin Diaz have both departed via free agency.
The team was able to re-sign another free agent, Andrew Benintendi, but he's 32 years old and has gone from being a great to really good player in recent seasons.
Despite the success of the last two seasons, ownership has slashed the budget by $40 million, making it tough to replenish the roster.
But there are a number of players on the team who know what it is like to win, so there is plenty of optimism.
This is our roster as things head into February.

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Walkers news: Players Development report February 1

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The St. Louis River Walkers have signed 30-year-old reliever Zac Lowther to a minor-league contract.
The left-hander, who has only one major league game under his belt, spent last season at AAA Tacoma where he went 5-4 and posted 29 saves in 55 games.

He boasted an 1.28 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have inked right-handed relief pitcher J.B. Wendelen to a one-year contract.
The 33-year-old Wendelken spent last season with Evansville, where he pitched in 64 games while going 1-2 with a 5.47 ERA. He also posted three saves.

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Walkers news: Players development report for March 1

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These are the preseason predictions from the start of spring training, which I forgot to post.
The prognosticators don't think too highly of the River Walkers, saying we're going to go 77-85.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have completed a two-for-two trade with the Milwaukee Keg Lifters, sending second baseman Bo Bichette and starting pitcher Steven Brault to Milwaukee in exchange for starting pitcher Brendan McKay and minor league first baseman Cris Rosario.
The Walkers had looked at the 29-year-old Bichette as a cornerstone for their future, but he had a poor 2026 season and showed no sign of turning it around in spring training.
The emergence of Vidal Brujan. who ended up batting .305 as the stating second baseman made the decision easier.
Brault, meanwhile, had been a solid contributor to the St. Louis rotation.
He went 10-10 with a 3.97 ERA in 2026 and 29-26 with a 3.40 ERA in his three seasons with the River Walkers.
But at 34, he was beginning to show his age late in the 2026 season and had struggled in spring training.
In McKay, St. Louis gets a slightly younger left-handed pitcher in the 31-year-old McKay who went 11-13 last season with a 4.81 ERA and owns a career mark of 58-56 while playing for teams maybe a bit less talented than St. Louis.
Rosario is a highly-touted prospect who will likely spend the season with AAA Memphis.

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Walkers news: Player info from Milwaukee trade

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MBL news: Final spring training standings and leaders

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MBL news: 2027 predictions going into Opening Day

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Walkers news: Spring training individual statistics

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The St. Louis River Walkers will go into the 2027 season, coming off a second consecutive World Series appearance, albeit a six-game loss to the Detroit Wheelmen.
With the team payroll slashed by $40 million, the Walkers saw a pair of major losses in free agency.
Ace pitcher Alex Faedo, the 2027 NL Cy Young winner, is now a member of the Rockford Lightning.
Closer Edwin Diaz, the 2027 National League Relief Pitcher of the Year, has joined the Fort Wayne Mad Men.
Also, Bo Bichette who had been starting at second baseman for the Walkers since 2021, has been traded to the Milwaukee Keg Lifters.
Bichette had a poor 2026 season, where he lost his starting job to Vidal Brujan.
He was given an opportunity to reclaim his position in spring training but still failed to put it together while Brudal continued to excel.
That led to the decision to send Bichette and left-handed starter Steven Brault to the Keg Lifters.
In exchange, the Walkers received 32-year-old left-handed starter Brendan McKay, who should slot in as the team's No. 2 starter.
In giving up Brault, the Walkers surrendered a pitcher who had spent three seasons in their starting rotation and gone 29-26 while piling up a lot of innings.
Brault, however, will turn 35 early in the 2027 season and has probably seen his best days.
The one big free-agent signing by St. Louiis, was one of their own signing Andrew Benintendi to a four-year deal.
While he may no longer be an MVP candidate, Benintendi is still very capable outfielder and a leader in the clubhouse.
A newcomer to the MBL roster, yet a familiar name, is outfielder Alek Thomas who spent the 2024 and 25 seasons in St. Louis.
Clay Owens, who played very well in a late-season callup for the Walkers in 2027, will be the backup catcher.
While outfielder Edward Olivarez and infielder Myles Austin will start the season on the varsity after spending most of last season at AAA Memphis.
There are a handful of new names in the bullpen in right-handers Luis Angel Medina and J.B. Wendelken and left-hander Zac Lowther.
Danny Grigg also is back after missing most of 2027 with a torn labrum.

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Record: 1-0, 1st (Tied/w. Des Moines and Kansas City), 1 GA Springfield, Quad City and Cedar Rapids
(This game was played at the OOTP generic ballpark, as the parks I use in this franchise failed to transfer -- the River Walkers play in Busch Stadium 1997 -- I hope to rectify this in a day or so).
Down 1-0 after Springfield scored in the top of the second inning, St. Louis responded with four in the bottom half which was enough to carry the River Walkers to a 4-2 win at OOTP Generic Ballpark.
Prairie Fighters starting pitcher Jared Kelley retired the first two hitters he faced in the bottom of the second.
But Jean Carmona got things rolling with a double.
Alek Thomas then received an intentional walk, and pitcher Adonis Medina followed with the big hit of the inning with a double which scored Carmona.
Vidal Brujan kept things rolling with an RBI single.
Kelley's struggles continued with a walked to Carlos Vidal.
Fernando Tatis Jr. then made it 4-1 with a two-run single.
Pinch-hitter Alex Bregman led off the sixth with a double off Medina and later scored on a Daniel Becerra ground out, to make it 4-2.
Jake Brentz was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E in his first outing as the official closer for St. Louis.
Leading 4-2, he hit two batters, and allowed a walk and a single as the Prairie Fighters pulled to within 4-3 before being relieved.
Danny Grigg took over and got Victor Cartini to ground out to end it, and earn himself a save.
Medina (1-0) allowed two runs on three hits in six innings., He struck out three and walked one.
Nick Lodolo struck out five of the six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth.

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Record: 1-1, 2nd (Tied/w. Springfield), 0.5 GB Des Moines and Kansas City
Angel Gimenez hit a two-run homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Brendan McKay in the top of the fifth inning to snap a 1-1 tie and help list Springfield to a 3-1 win at OOTP Ballpark.
(Still have not resolved the stadium issue. Game is continuing to default to the generic stadium rather than Busch Stadium (1997)).
Both teams got their first runs in the second inning.

Dylan Crews led off the second with a single off McKay and later scored on a Ruben Villanueva sacrifice fly.
A Jared Thomas double off Springfield starter Pablo Lopez led to the St. Louis run.
Thomas scored on an Alek Thomas ground out.
Eric Hosmer led off the sixth with a single for the Fighters.
McKay retired the next two, but Gimenez launched the first pitch he saw 396 feet over the wall in left.
Lopez worked five innings, allowing the lone St. Louis run on three hjits.
Owen Sharts handled the sixth and seventh innings and got the first out of the eighth.
Juan Hillman finished off the eighth.
Dinelson Lamet worked the ninth for his first save.

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The game between the Springfield Prairie Fighters and St. Louis River Walkers on March 31 at Busch Stadium (1997) has been postponed by rain.
The contest will be made up later in the season.

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Walkers news: Player Development Report for April 1

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Record: 1-2, 4th (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 2 GB Des Moines
Juan Amezquita and a pair of relievers combined on a four-hit shutout as Des Moines whitewashed St. Louis at Busch Stadium (1997).
Rafael Devers put the Harvesters ahead early with a two-run homer off River Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio in the top of the first inning.
That was all Amezquita and company would need, although the Harvesters would add two insurance runs.
Glenn Santiago reaching on an error by Walkers shortstop Jean Carmona to open the third and later scoring on a throwing error by third baseman Fernando Tatis Jr.
St. Louis would commit four errors in the game.
Foley scored again in the sixth, leading off with a triple off Tiburcio and scoring when Garret Frechette singled off reliever Nick Lodolo.
Amezquita allowed three hits in six innings, while striking out eight and walking three.
Jon Olsen authored two scoreless innings.
Albert Hernandez was perfect in the ninth.

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Record: 1-4, 3rd (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 3 GB Des Moines
Pinch-hitter Tyler Callihan hit a one-out homer in the top of the ninth inning of St. Louis reliever Danny Grigg to help give Des Moines a 7-6 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Callihan's homer came on a 0-1 pitch and soared 442 feet over the wall in left field.
Down 2-0, the River Walkers got a two-run homer from Fernando Tatis and a solo shot from Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the first inning off Harvesters starter Kellan Tulio to go up 3-2.
Larry Ernesto then drew a lead-off walk in the second and scored on a Vidal Bruja ground out to make it 4-2.

But Jason Froelich could not maintain that advantage.
The Harvesters wiped out that lead and more by lighting Froelich up for four runs in the top of the fifth.
The inning featured two walks, including one that drove in a run, along with an error by shortstop Myles Austin on a botched force play at second.
Jackson Miller also drove in a run with a single.
An RBI double from Jarron Silva made it 6-4.
The Walkers tied with on Hoskins second homer of the game, a two-run shot off reliever Albert Hernandez in the eighth.
That lead lasted for just two batters, however, thanks to Callihan's long ball in the ninth.
Tulio lasted just four innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
Zach Brown followed with a pair of scoreless innings.
Ronny Carvajal, Hernandez and Omar Benitez all worked an inning apiece.
Hernandez (2-0) came out of it with the win, despite allowing the Hoskins homer.
Benitez earned his third save.

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Record: 2-3, 4th (Tied/w. Cedar Rapids), 2.5 GB Kansas City
Rhys Hoskins singled to lead off the bottom of the 12th inning and later scored on a wild pitch by Des Moines reliever Zack Brown to give St. Louis a 4-3 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Singles from Jared Thomas and Jean Carmona followed the singfle by Hoskins, all against Brown, to load the bases with no outs.
His first pitch to Alek Thomas then went to the backstop as Hoskins crossed the plate to end a four-game losing streak for the River Walkers.
St. Louis starter Jimmy Lambert was impressive throwing eight scoreless innings -- during which he allowed two hits -- before exiting.
But Walkers closer Jake Brentz once again struggled opening the door for a three-run inning for the Harvesters -- allowing a lead-off double to John Lehto, a one-out walk to Rafael Devers and a two-run triple to Andrew Foley -- before exiting.
Williams Jerez took over, but allowed a sacrifice fly to Austin Meadows that tied it.
After the game, it was announced Brentz is dealing with a mild hamstring strain which will sideline him for six days.
St. Louis built its 3-0 lead courtesy of runs in the bottom of the second -- Alek Thomas drew a bases-loaded walk from Des Moines starter Ray Spencer -- fourth -- a solo homer from Thomas off Spencer -- and sixth -- Jean Carmona drew a lead-off walk from Casey Meisner and scored on a Vidal Brujan fly ball -- innings.
Jerez recorded the final two outs of the ninth.
Luis Angel Medina pitched a scoreless 10th for the Walkers.
Nick Lodolo (1-0) handled a pair of innings to earn the win for St. Louis.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have placed left-handed reliever Jake Brentz on the 10-day disabled list with a hamstring injury and called up lefty reliever Ricky Cisneros from AAA Memphis.
Brentz has been among the best relievers in the MBL the past two seasons, but struggled in his first two outings of the 2027 season.
He appeared in two of the first five games and allowed four runs in just one total inning.
Cisneros, 22, has yet to pitch for Memphis this season, which has yet to begin its season.
However, he spent part of the 2026 season in the St. Louis bullpen where he went 4-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 18 games.
He is back in Memphis seeing how he might do as a starting pitcher before firmly establishing his role moving forward.