Colorado Mesa Professional Athletes

Kyle Leahy didn't just survive his first full season in the Cardinals' rotation — he made a case for a permanent spot in it.

The Colorado Mesa alumnus capped a breakout 2026 campaign on Thursday, Sept. 24, taking the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Paul Skenes in the Cardinals' final regular-season matchup with Pittsburgh. Leahy delivered two innings, struck out three, and allowed just one earned run — a clean, composed finish to a season that exceeded nearly every expectation St. Louis had for him heading into the year.

That final line brought his ERA for the season to 3.66, a figure that reflects how steady he was across the rotation. Sports Illustrated called it a "massive step forward," and the outlet is already raising the question of what an expanded role looks like for Leahy in 2027 — naming him as proof that the Cardinals' reliever-to-starter pipeline is worth mining further.

The praise isn't hollow. Making the jump from bullpen depth piece to viable rotation option is one of the harder transitions in the sport. Leahy navigated it, and the Cardinals noticed. SI floated his success as the model for at least one other Cardinals reliever the organization should now consider for a similar experiment, which is the kind of recognition that doesn't come without results.

Two Mavericks in St. Louis

Leahy wasn't the only Colorado Mesa name on the Cardinals' active roster this season. Outfielder Bligh Madris — also an alumnus of the Grand Junction program — suited up for St. Louis in 2026, giving the small Division II school an unlikely two-man footprint on the same MLB club. It's a remarkable convergence for a program that doesn't typically generate headlines at this level.

Bramwell Holds Down South Florida

Across the league, catcher Spencer Bramwell continued his work behind the plate for the Miami Marlins. Bramwell didn't feature in the week's highlighted game action, but his presence in a big-league catching role adds a third active MLB alumnus to Colorado Mesa's ledger — a depth of professional representation that would be notable for programs at any level.

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For Colorado Mesa, a school better known for its scenery than its pipeline to professional sports, the 2026 season was something worth noting. Three alumni on MLB rosters, two of them on the same contending-caliber organization, and one of them closing out the year with a Sports Illustrated write-up speculating about a bigger future. Leahy's 2026 won't be the last time Maverick fans have reason to tune into a Cardinals broadcast.

Kyle Leahy, CMU's Cardinal Ace

Colorado Mesa's Kyle Leahy has been one of the quiet success stories of the 2026 Cardinals season — a righty out of Grand Junction who has carved out a legitimate rotation spot in St. Louis and made it look earned.

Heading into the Cardinals' final homestand of the season, Leahy carried a 10-4 record and a 3.33 ERA, good enough to earn him a grades-based shoutout from Sports Illustrated as one of the rotation's risers in an otherwise uneven pitching staff. With St. Louis welcoming the Washington Nationals to Busch Stadium for the season's last home series, Leahy got the ball Friday night — a signal of how much trust the organization has placed in the 2019 CMU product.

That Friday assignment was fitting for a guy who's been a reliable arm all season. But the homestand didn't end the way Leahy or Cardinals fans would have hoped. On Saturday, September 19, against the same Nationals club, Leahy lasted just 3.0 innings, allowing 6 earned runs in what turned out to be a rough afternoon — part of a lopsided St. Louis loss. The outing bumped his ERA to 3.65, a notable tick upward but still a number most teams would take from a mid-rotation starter.

The Saturday outing came on an emotional night at Busch Stadium, where the Cardinals had just inducted Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and Bill Sherder into their Hall of Fame. Leahy gave the Cardinals some early efficiency before the wheels came off — a tough way to cap an emotional evening for the franchise.

Still, one bad start doesn't erase what's been a legitimately impressive campaign for a pitcher who wasn't a household name entering the year. A 10-4 record and a sub-3.70 ERA in the major leagues — from a Division II product out of Colorado Mesa — is a story worth telling regardless of how the final few outings shake out.

Also on the Roster

Leahy isn't the only CMU alum in Cardinals red. Outfielder Bligh Madris has also been part of the St. Louis roster this season, giving Colorado Mesa two representatives on the same big-league club — a remarkable feat for a school better known for its scenery than its pipeline to the pros.

Meanwhile, catcher Spencer Bramwell has been affiliated with the Miami Marlins, rounding out a trio of active CMU alumni in MLB this season.

For a program in Grand Junction that competes at the Division II level, having three players on active big-league rosters in the same season is an extraordinary marker. Leahy's emergence as a legitimate starting pitcher — not a spot starter, not a swing man, but a contributor with a winning record — is the headliner. But the depth of CMU's representation across the league this year is the larger story fans back in Grand Junction should be savoring.