Starring for Cardinals, Rosenthal grew up in Royals country

Trevor Rosenthal, RHP, Cardinals
Hometown: Lee's Summit, Mo.

Trevor Rosenthal grew up near one of Missouri's two Major League teams, but found a home with the other.

The righty was born in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit, Mo., where he became a standout on the baseball field. However, he didn't get drafted out of high school, nor garner attention from major college programs.

Instead, he headed to Crowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kan., and in 2009, the team qualified for the Junior College World Series. That's when the Cardinals first discovered Rosenthal, a shortstop who had just begun pitching. Throwing in the low-to-mid 90s, he got noticed by Cardinals scout Aaron Looper after seeing Rosenthal throw just one inning during the tournament.

But Looper placed his faith in Rosenthal and St. Louis drafted him in the 21st round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. Since then, Rosenthal has developed into the team's closer, and an excellent one at that.