On the Katy Trail - Jefferson City, Missouri

 

It was back to the longer rides as we had a 36-mile trip from Rocheport to the capital of Missouri, Jefferson City.  

The trail took us along the Missouri River for the first time, so that gave us some scenic views.

There were several small towns along the way; Huntsdale, McBaine, Hartford, and Clayville, but no major leaguers came from any of them. 

Soon, the dome of Missouri's capitol building came into view

 That isn't the case with our final stop, as five players come from Jefferson City.  And I actually have cards of three of the five.

The most-recent Jefferson City native to play in the majors is Clint Robinson.  He made his big-league debut with the Royals in 2012 at the age of 27.  He went on to play with the Dodgers and Nationals for parts of three seasons from 2014-2016

Pitcher Sam LeCure.  He was with the Reds for six seasons, from 2010-2015, working mostly from the bullpen.

Joe Crede, who spent nine of his ten year career on the wrong side of town.

A cousin of Joe Crede, Dennis Higgins was also with the White Sox, and then the Senators, Indians, and Cardinals over seven seasons.

The most successful of all the players from Jefferson City would have to be Steve Rogers.  He won 158 games over his 13 seasons in the majors, all with the Expos.  He was a five-time All-Star and three times finished in the top ten for the NL Cy Young.