PEARL, Miss. (July 1, 2026) — The Mississippi Mud Monsters have announced the signing and activation of left-handed pitcher John Walsh. In the same announcement, right-handed pitcher and 2025 All-Star Sergio Sanchez has been activated after spending the entire 2026 season on the Inactive List.

 

Sanchez, a native of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, returns as the Mud Monsters’ all-time saves leader after recording 14 saves during the club’s inaugural 2025 campaign.

 

One of three Mississippi players selected to the 2025 Frontier League All-Star Game, the right-hander logged 31.0 innings across 29 appearances while posting a 4.94 ERA and striking out 34 batters.

 

Sanchez joined the first-year Mud Monsters after spending five seasons in the Colorado Rockies organization.

 

During his time with the Rockies, Sanchez pitched across five levels of affiliated baseball, reaching as high as High-A Spokane in 2024. Over his affiliated career, he recorded 257 strikeouts in 233.2 innings pitched.

 

Now back with Mississippi, Sanchez looks to build upon his Frontier League All-Star campaign while providing another experienced arm to the Mud Monsters bullpen.

 

Walsh, an Eagle, Colorado native, arrives in Pearl to begin his 2026 campaign and is slated to make his Mud Monsters debut as the starting pitcher in today’s second game of the three-game series against the Gateway Grizzlies.

 

The left-hander made his professional debut in 2025, beginning the season in the Mavericks League with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in Keizer, Oregon. In July, after being named a Mavericks League All-Star, Walsh advanced to the Pioneer League, joining the Rocky Mountain Vibes.

 

While with the Vibes, Walsh became teammates with current Mud Monsters right-hander Hunter Belton.

 

Across 12 relief appearances with Rocky Mountain, Walsh logged 12.2 innings while striking out eight batters.

 

Prior to turning professional, Walsh began his collegiate career at Arkansas Tech University after graduating from Eagle Valley High School in Eagle, Colorado.

 

Across three seasons with the Wonder Boys from 2020-2022, Walsh appeared in 26 games, making two starts while striking out 55 batters in 38.2 innings pitched.

 

Walsh concluded his collegiate career at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas, pitching two seasons for the Braves from 2023-2024. The southpaw logged 50.0 innings across 35 appearances, making two starts while striking out 66 batters.

 

As the calendar turns to July, the Mud Monsters receive reinforcements on both the starting staff and in the bullpen as Walsh and Sanchez look to strengthen Mississippi’s pitching staff for the second half of the season.

About the Mississippi Mud Monsters 
Baseball Lives Here. It Just Got a Little Weirder.

The Mississippi Mud Monsters are a professional baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, competing in the Frontier League. Built in the mud and rooted in Mississippi, the Mud Monsters believe baseball should be unapologetically fun, a little weird, wildly welcoming, and deeply tied to the place it calls home. Real baseball. Real people. This is swamp-built, Mississippi-made baseball, where the vibes matter just as much as the final score.