The Missouri Trifectas: 5 Players Who Lived the “Show Me State” Dream

As we begin another Major League Baseball season, it’s the perfect time to look back at a rare feat in Missouri sports history. While the I-70 series usually divides the state into Red and Blue, a select group of athletes has managed to bridge that gap. We will this select group of players the Missouri Trifectas.

Roughly 100 players in history have suited up for both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals (or the K.C. Athletics). That is a very small fraternity. But when you narrow that list down to players who also played their high school baseball here in Missouri, the list shrinks to just five.

Here are the “Missouri Trifectas” legends who grew up on baseball fields across Missouri and went on to represent both of our state’s big-league clubs.

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1. Cloyd Boyer — Alba High

The Pitching Patriarch

Before the Royals arrived in 1969, the Athletics called Kansas City their home. Cloyd Boyer, a right-hander from the tiny town of Alba (near Neosho), pitched for the Cardinals from 1949–1955 before joining the K.C. Athletics in 1955.

Alba only had about 500 residents, but it was a baseball factory thanks to the Boyer family; all seven brothers played professionally. While Cloyd paved the way, his brothers Ken (a Cardinals Hall of Famer) and Clete (a Gold Glover for the K.C. Athletics) kept the family name in Missouri lights for decades. Cloyd later earned a World Series ring as the Yankees’ pitching coach in 1977.

2. Mark Littell — Gideon High

The Bootheel Flame-Thrower

Hailing from a massive farm near Wardell, Mark Littell earned his nickname “Country” honestly. At Gideon High, he was a force of nature, tossing three no-hitters in his senior season alone.

Though he committed to Mizzou, he went pro with the Royals in 1971 and was a key piece of their late-70s bullpen that was so dominant. He was traded to the Cardinals in 1978, where he remained until 1982—the year the Redbirds won the World Series. History buffs might also remember Littell as the man on the mound when Pete Rose notched hit number 3,631 to become the NL’s all-time hit leader.

3. Scott Cooper — Pattonville High

The St. Louis Suburban Star

Scott Cooper is a legend in St. Louis County. In 1986, he led Pattonville High School to a state championship victory over Winnetonka. After becoming a two-time All-Star with the Red Sox, Cooper made his way back to Missouri to play for the Cardinals in 1995 and the Royals in 1997.

His commitment to Missouri baseball didn’t end with his playing days; he returned home to coach Fontbonne University, earning Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2003.

4. Kerry Robinson — Hazelwood East

The Three-Sport Phenom

Kerry Robinson wasn’t just a baseball star; at Hazelwood East, he excelled in football and—surprisingly for a future MLB outfielder—ice hockey! After playing for Southeast Missouri State, he was drafted by the Cardinals.

While he bounced around the league, his peak Missouri moments came between 2001 and 2003 with the Cards, followed by a stint with the Royals in 2006. Cardinals fans immortalized him for his walk-off home run against the Cubs, a moment famously captured in Buzz Bissinger’s book Three Nights in August.

5. Trevor Rosenthal — Lee’s Summit West

The Modern Closer

Representing the western side of the state, Trevor Rosenthal grew up in the Kansas City suburbs and starred at Lee’s Summit West. He was drafted by the Cardinals in 2009 and quickly became one of the most dominant closers in the game, setting the Cardinals’ single-season saves record in 2015.

In 2019, Rosenthal completed the trifecta by joining the Royals. Though injuries eventually cut his career short in 2023, his legacy as the 2015 “St. Louis Baseball Man of the Year” cements his status as one of Missouri’s greatest homegrown arms.

006. Many people remember him from the book, Three Nights in August. In that book, the author writes about a three-game seris through the eyes of manager Tony Larussa. In one of those games, Robinson the game-winning walk off home run off the Chicago Cubs.