The Branson Baldknobbers, Springfield Stogies, St. Charles Rivermen, Joplin Jackhammers, Hannibal Pirates and Warrensburg Warlocks are the founding members of the Show Me State Baseball Association.
The current twelve team league first began play in the mid sixties with these six teams under the banner Missouri Baseball Organization. However, poor planning and even worse financial preparations nearly crippled the fledgling league before Mother Nature put her own kibosh on the league in the great flood of 73.
The league’s headquarters, based in the riverside town of Hannibal, Missouri, was one of a myriad of businesses and residences along the Mississippi River that were flooded out by a nearly 26 foot high river level in April 1973. Keep in mind that this was far before the advent of computers and all records of the leagues early seasons were lost to the mud and mire of the Mighty Missisissippi.
With the league records gone and financial hardships either happening or very near for all six franchises, the decision was made to suspend the league and to try to arrange for new local ownership groups for each of the teams. Unfortunately, the years passed and it seemed as if the once bright future for the Missouri based baseball group had passed.
Luckily for all the fans and players that remembered the MBO, a young gentleman by the name of Hiram Gosney, a local businessman in the Hannibal area had been working many hours out of sight of the public and had managed to gather not only six new owners for the original franchises, but an additional six throughout the state of Missouri making the league more stable in both size and future profitability.
Most of the owners had ties to the show me state, generally through business dealings, although a couple were true sons of Missouri, like St. Charles Rivermen owner Anthony Yoren, born and raised in Hannibal or Luis Morrison the new owner of the Branson Baldknobbers, who was raised by his grandmother in Saint Louis.
ORIGINAL FRANCHISES
Branson Baldknobbers
Owner – Luis Morrison
GM – Cliff Pitts – One of the first African-American general managers in the combined MBO/SMSBA history as well as a former second baseman for the Hannibal Pirates in the original MBO
Ballpark – Branson Grounds
Notable Pitcher - Scott Parkinson - 38 yr old southpaw, 95-97 mph FB, Cutter, Curve, Forkball - Age and injuries are concerns for Scott, but if he stays healthy, he’s clearly the ace of the Branson staff
Notable Hitter – 1B Joe Kent – 23 yr old slugger, projects to be a .300+ hitter and #3 in the lineup for the Baldknobbers.
Springfield Stogies
Owner - Ed Young
GM – Greg Dawson
Ballpark – Stogies Stand
Notable Pitcher – Dennis Wells – 31 yr southpaw, a finesse pitcher topping out around 90 mph with his FB, lot of movement on his pitches including a curve, change and splitter
Notable Hitter – RF Michael Coleman – 28 yr speedy contact man is projected to pace the Stogies lineup in hits and steals, the only major deficiency in his game is a complete lack of pop.
St. Charles Rivermen
Owner – Anthony Yoren
GM - Zack Smith
Ballpark – Riverside Park
Notable Pitcher – Lawrene “Elephant” Hamiltion, a 25 yr old righty will be crucial to the success of the St. Charles bullpen. Very positive and a vocal leader, loves the history of the game. Two primary pitches with his slider and a cutter that reaches up to 96 mph.
Notable Hitter – Salvador Suarez – the 28 yr old lefty first sacker is the cornerstone of the Rivermen offense. He’s a slugger with an outstanding eye. Offensively, the only thing he can’t do is run well, but when you’re banging balls out of the park, that shouldn’t be a huge hindrance.
Hannibal Pirates
Owner – Ronald Ritter
GM – Joe Patmore - The second youngest general manager, 41, in the SMSBA.
Ballpark – Pirate Cove
Notable Pitcher – Josh Roberts, the 31 yr old project ace of the Hannibal staff, depends heavily on his slider and changeup to get batters out. Leaves it all on the mound every appearance.
Notable Hitter – Catcher Paul Reynolds has all the tools you could want, the only thing lacking is his work ethic. His skills are so good right now, that it won’t hurt him, but on a young team he would be a terrible example of how to work.
Warrensburg Warlocks
Owner – Gilbert Cassadine
GM – Mike Turner
Ballpark – Warlocks Den
Notable Pitcher – Jose “Coma” Maldonado – the Honduran national and closer for the Warlocks is as dependable as the day is long. His stuff is only exceeded by the movement and he depends primarily on a sinker and curveball to shut down opponents.
Notable Hitter – CF Rusty Williams is the cleanup man for Warrensburg, projected as a plus-plus slugger and his patience at the plate will confound opposing pitchers. At 23, he only stands to get better.
Joplin Jackhammers
Owner – Manny Stevens
GM – Joe Harding – One of the the first African-American general managers and also the youngest GM (30) in the SMSBA.
Ballpark – The Pothole
Notable Pitcher – Gil Phillips, the 20 yr old closer for Joplin is expected to shut down the opponents with his hard sinker and slider. The Michigan native makes pitching look effortless out there.
Notable Hitter – Jerry Davenport, a high contact/low power output catcher will be counted on to maintain the Jackhammer offense from the 3 hole. Defensively, he’s among the best catchers around, period.
EXPANSION FRANCHISES
Cape Girardeau Outlaws
Owner - Steve Miller
GM - Luis Ortiz - The first Mexican general manager in the SMSBA.
Ballpark - The Hideout
Notable Pitcher – Joe Simmons is a 24 yr old southpaw that changes speeds nicely. His pitch movement will make it difficult for batters to square up on him.
Notable Hitter – Brandon O’Spillane is a true son of Missouri (Gladstone) and is a known baseball rat. He’s the first one to the yard and the last to leave. Good contact, below average speed and an arm that most base runners fear, he will be fun to watch, if not overly effective
Columbia Tigers
Owner - Vance Gardner
GM - Alberto Hernandez
Ballpark - Tigers Stadium
Notable Pitcher – Righty Pat Anderson doesn’t like attention, but if he pitches up to projections he’ll be getting a lot of attention this season. Expected to be the number 2 pitcher in the Columbia rotation.
Notable Hitter – CF Kyle Hebert is your prototypical lead off man other than the nearly elite power he possesses. Expect to see Kyle at the top of the stolen bases leaderboard.
Jefferson City Jays
Owner - Chris Hopper
GM - William Barton
Ballpark - Jays Ballpark
Notable Pitcher – Eric Riddle, a 24 yr old flamethrower from Detroit, projects to be the opening day started and ace of the staff. With a fastball touching 100 mph and two other plus pitches in a slider and change, the only issue facing this young man is how straight his pitches stay. If he can get any movement at all, he’ll become even more formidable.
Notable Hitter – The most consistent hitter for the Jays is John Bullock, a 30 year old right fielder, but that’s a backhanded compliment as the Jays look to struggle for offense this season.
Kirksville Cougars
Owner - Maxwell McDonald
GM - Edward Morton
Ballpark - Cougars Lair
Notable Pitcher – 24 yr old southpaw Dylan Butler is a pitcher to keep your eye on. Has plus-plus potential but is inconsistent with his control. This true son from Macon is a potential star if he can gain consistency.
Notable Hitter – Augusto Serrano, a 30 yr old left fielder, will be the cornerstone of the Kirksville offense. Impressive bat control and plate discipline coupled with very good power makes Gus one of the few you wouldn’t want to see at the plate in a crucial situation as an opposing pitcher.
Lee's Summit Broncos
Owner - Fred Little
GM - Smith Kapkin
Ballpark - Little Stadium
Notable Pitcher – A Dutch closer, Carsten Anraad, uses his entire repertoire of pitches effectively, keeping opposing hitters off balance with his curveball, sinker and splitter. Only 25 yrs old, he can only get better.
Notable Hitter – Manny Hernandex, a 32 yr old catcher, is the sort of guy you want for a hit and run as he usually squares up the ball well. Defensively, he’s seen his better days but his arm can make up for some of his defensive deficiencies.
Monroe City Panthers
Owner – Roy Davis
GM – Sam Bow
Ballpark – Panthers Ballpark
Notable Pitcher –Alex Elkins, the 29 yr old closer for Monroe City, is a two pitch pitcher with a hard slider and his fastball that tops out around 99 mph. Add the hard stuff to his pinpoint control and he’s definitely the guy you want to close out the ballgame
Notable Hitter – Pablo Torres, a 24 yr old Cuban defector, is an outfielder by trade and is expected to be a very good hitter. His power potential is that of your usual clean-up hitter and his defense is well above average.