Columbia’s own Spencer Miles persevered through adversity and into the Major Leagues
Toronto, Canada (KMIZ)
When Columbia native Spencer Miles made the Toronto Blue Jays' Opening Day roster for the 2026 season, he defied the odds.
The Mizzou and Rock Bridge alum not only became the first former Bruin player to make it to the big leagues, but also did it after pitching just 14.0 innings of minor league ball.
"It's unconventional, for sure," Miles said.
Miles' journey has been anything but straight-forward, after his four years at Mizzou. After getting drafted by the San Fransisco Giants in 2022, the pitcher was dealt a tough hand with back-to-back injuries. First, he suffered a back injury, which required surgery and cost him the 2023 season. Then, in 2024, a right flexor strain led to him having Tommy John surgery and not pitching the entirety of the 2025 campaign.
Despite all that adversity, when Miles did take the hill in minor league ball, he made his presence known.
"Just, you know, being present every day has kind of been my motto [through injury]," he said. "Like, don't be looking too far in advance, don't be looking like a month down the road. Just, you know, you have a task that day and if you do that 100 days over, like good things will happen."
He was right. Good things came Miles' way ahead of the 2026 season. Following the Blue Jays' World Series push, the club decided to pick up the Columbia native in the Rule 5 Draft in December, which allows MLB teams to selection eligible, non-40-man roster players from other organizations.
That move turned out to be the one that would help Miles achieve a lifelong dream: pitching in the Major Leagues.
"I got called into the office and our manager, John Schneider, goes...'Well, Spence, I don't think we're going to have time to, ship you back to San Francisco since they played tonight...So, I think we'll have to keep you here and have you on our Opening Day roster,'" Miles said, when asked how he found out he had made his first MLB roster "I think my skill set and and my determination and grit...has gotten me to this place that I can help the team win...I would say, definitely overcome with emotion, some tears, maybe, tears of joy. You know, you work so hard, three years of straight of rehab, two surgeries."
It didn't take Miles long to get a taste of the action, as Toronto threw him into the thick of the action in an extra innings thriller against the Athletics in just the second game of the season.
"Especially being a Rule 5 and not having too many innings under your belt, they, you know, prefaced it with like we're not going to baby you this and that. Which I'm like 100 percent, don't baby me. I want to get out there and, you know, show the world what I got," the Mizzou alum said.
Miles came in and immediately showed the world what he's made of, throwing a 1-2-3 inning out of the bullpen, which was highlighted by his first-career strikeout.
He said he had a feeling that was going to be a special night and it turned out to surpass even his expectations. It was a moment that fulfilled all of his hard work and determination, through high school, college and injury.
"Being persistent, asking questions, being curious, never being satisfied with where your games at," Miles said, when asked what the key to him making it to the MLB was.
Since his first start, the Blue Jays relief pitcher has tallied nine strikeouts on a 3.48 ERA, allowing six runs in 10.1 innings of work for his new team.
At the end of the day, Miles' first season on a Major League roster is just the beginning. But, he has a deep appreciation for representing Columbia, Mo. on the national stage.
"It's a dream come true," he said. "Being able to represent Mizzou um and joining a really awesome list of big leaguers to come from Mizzou...Hopefully, I can continue to live up to it and continue to impress people and make them proud."
