| Historic Joe Becker Stadium is probably best known for being Mickey Mantle's home ballpark during his second year of professional baseball. While the park was built in 1918, obviously only the field remains from the original structure. Apparently the park has burned down twice, the last time in 1971. Minor league baseball hasn't been played here since 1954, though apparently it still gets plenty of use by amateur teams (including Missouri Southern University). After several years of talk about renovating Joe Becker to accommodate a minor league team, plans finally came to fruition in 2015. The American Association added a new team to play in Joplin, and awaiting them will be an almost entirely new ballpark. Unfortunately, the new team only lasted two seasons before folding due to lagging attendance and overall financial problems. It may get another shot at pro ball in 2019 as the upstart Southwest League has plans to put a team in Joplin.
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