Michael Jordan. Mario Lemieux. Nolan Ryan. Magic Johnson. These are names that virtually every sports fan knows. Most know well the exploits of these four on the court, field, or rink, but many may not know that these four also have something else in common; they were all, and in three cases still are, owners of professional sports teams. Only Ryan is no longer an owner.

These four are considered some of the greatest athletes of all-time as well as four of the best businessmen that have come out of the sports world. These are four self-made men who took their talents and understanding of the sports world and became as successful as owners as they were as players (leave Michael Jordan alone).

Of the four, Mario Lemieux has the distinction of actually playing for his team while he owned them. It proved that the superstar had such respect from his players that he could stand in a locker room with them as their comrade on the ice while also being the one who was paying their salaries. It also showed that he had the brilliant business sense to pass functions and duties onto others during his time playing so that the success of the organization was not clouded by his judgment as a player, while also letting players know that he was not making any decisions that affected the product on the ice.

The American Association has their own Mario Lemieux, if you would, who has taken the reigns of an independent baseball team, while also joining its players on the field as one of their own. He has shown that he is not only a quality baseball player, but a good businessman, and a guy that has quickly helped to set a standard for how an expansion club can succeed when a visionary is at the helm. That man is Gabe Suárez.

At just 30-years old, Suárez has accomplished more than most could accomplish in four lifetimes. He has played professionally at virtually every level imaginable, including AAA, independent baseball, the Mexican Leagues, the Australian Baseball League, and in the World Baseball Classic. The resume is quite distinguished and, despite some down seasons, he has shown himself to be a star on the diamond while upholding the family tradition of being superstars in the baseball community.

Gabe was first introduced to the game by his father, who has been an important influence on him in his career and his life in general. “My family has been involved in baseball since I was a boy. My dad was a baseball agent for some 30 years, ever since he got out of college, so I got to learn lots about the game from him. As a whole we all love baseball. It’s just a passion for us, and that is why we do it.”

In 2003 coming out of high school, Suárez was drafted in the 33rd round by the Montreal Expos. He decided to go to college first but, after a year at South Mountain Community College, the Montreal Expos came calling again and this time, after being drafted in the 26th round, he decided to sign.

Gabe began his professional career in 2004, but struggled for the Expos rookie league team. The next season the Expos became the Washington Nationals, and the organization decided he was not in their plans. After playing with the Lincoln Saltdogs, Suárez played a year with the Colorado Rockies Tri-City team. For the next five seasons he primarily played independent baseball, where he came to really appreciate the style of play.

“This is really the closest thing to the Major Leagues because you are playing to win. The crowds are fun, and the players are playing hard to get their shot back to affiliate ball. It makes the competition a lot more challenging.”

In 2012, Gabe earned some serious frequent flyer miles. He played for Los Angeles Dodgers Mid-A Great Lakes and High-A Rancho Cucamonga teams, Ciudad del Carmen and Laguna in the Mexican League and Adelaide of the Australian Professional Baseball League.

The next season he was with El Paso of the American Association. He not only played well for the Diablos, but at the end of the season the team was sold, and it was WLD Suarez Baseball LLC that bought the rights to the club. Gabe was now joining the ranks of Mario Lemieux as he would not only continue his playing career, but would be the co-owner of the club with brother Shawn.

In 2013 Gabe got to enjoy one of his most special moments in his career – playing for Team Spain in the World Baseball Classic.

“I did that in the last Baseball Classic and it was one of the best playing experiences of my life. It was so amazing, and I was glad I got to play a part in the team’s success. We beat Israel to get into the World Baseball Classic and I had four hits in five at-bats, so that was a lot of fun.”

It is the desire to represent his country again that has been a primary reason why he has remained in the game he has always loved so much. “I want to play five more years, and play for Team Spain in the World Baseball Classic again. That was such an amazing experience that I can’t put into words. To get to represent Spain again would be amazing.”

Training and preparing for the daily grind that is a 100 game season is a lot of work in itself, and would monopolize most player’s time, but Suárez has a new job as well – co-owner. A job he realizes is a lot more than sitting in an owner’s box watching his product on the field.

“There is so much that goes into the ownership side. The hours and hours that people put in during the off-season. Concessions in itself, it is unbelievable all that has to be done. Souvenirs, getting foam fingers and baseballs. It is just a lot more than you imagine it would be. It’s a whole different level than what you would imagine.”

Ownership was the new job of Suárez after WLD Suarez Baseball LLC purchased the Diablos. They could no longer stay in El Paso as the city had rolled out the red carpet to a new AAA team, meaning if they were going to keep the club alive they would have to find a new location to set up residence. Many other cities vied for the club, but Joplin was the clear favorite of the owner.

“Joplin called us about being one of the cities. We had actually looked at a couple of other cities, but Joplin was attractive for a couple of reasons. First, there is no other professional team there, the closest professional team is an hour and a half away. Secondly, Mickey Mantle started his career in Joplin, and we are actually playing on the same field that Mickey Mantle played on. He actually hit a home run off of a house in center field. It looks like it was 500 feet away, so however far he hit it, it went a long way,” he explains with a laugh.

That is one of the things that makes Gabe so special. It is not just his desire to compete on the field and to build a successful product, but it is the history of the game that is special to him as well. The Blasters owner understands that his club has a special place in baseball now, and he relishes the chance to make his own history in the team’s new city.

“We want to be part of the fabric of the community. We want to be the identity of Joplin. We want it so that when people think of Joplin they think of the Blasters. We want people to have a fun time and be entertained. We want to be more involved with the community than just with baseball.”

He also understands that to be a special place in the fabric of Joplin the club must have success. To ensure success was possible, he was not going to buy into a club where he had no say in the decisions that were made. He wanted to build a club that played to win and developed players who would get a chance to reach the Major Leagues.

“We never even thought of affiliate ball. We are a baseball family and in affiliate ball they provide everything. The Major League club provides the players, they provide the coaches, and all you really run is the off-the-field stuff, like sponsorships, food, and merchandise. We really wanted to run the baseball side of things. We wanted to pick our own coaches. We want to give a guy a chance to play who has earned his spot on the field, and not just because the organization says he should play.”

It is that commitment to giving players a real chance to succeed that is one of the most important goals of the 30-year-old. “We want to put a winning team out there for the city of Joplin, which is a great baseball city. The players we have we want to get back to affiliate ball. We want to give them the chance to reach their next dream, and get them up the ladder. By putting a winning club on the field we will attract players who want to reach affiliate ball again, and we want to help them get there.”

What separates Gabe from virtually all other owners is that he understands exactly what it feels like when the phone rings or he is called into the manager’s office and is told that it is time to head back to a Major League organization. “I have been sold from independent ball to an affiliate and it is awesome. So I think it is incredible when a guy gets signed to affiliate ball. We are happy about it. We love to see those guys succeed.”

Success is something that drives Gabe Suárez. He has not always seen the kind of results he has desired on the field, but he has shown as an owner that he is already a force to be reckoned with. In their first season, the Joplin Blasters are in first place in the South Division of the American Association, 2.5 games ahead of the defending champion Wichita Wingnuts. They rose to that position two weeks ago with a statement series for the ages.

The Blasters had just been swept and were reeling a bit as Wichita had tied them for first. The Joplin Blasters headed to Wichita for a five-game series needing to rebound, and that is exactly what they did. They swept the Thursday double-header, then took two of the remaining three games to leave Kansas back on top. It was the kind of series that makes a franchise, and shows that the club has taken on the character of its owner – tough, resilient, and ready to turn a struggle into success.

Gabe Suárez has been struggling a bit at the plate this season for the Joplin Blasters. Injuries have made it a challenge to regain his timing at the plate, and that has caused him to struggle through the first half of the American Association season. The struggles led to his release by the club on July 5, but no one should count out the 30-year-olds return. Suárez is like a cat, always landing on his feet.

Knowing Gabe Suárez makes it easy to understand why the Joplin Blasters are doing so well. He is a man who has shown he can succeed in any venture he puts his heart and mind into, and he has demonstrated that when a challenge comes his way he takes it head-on. His club has taken on the character of its player-owner and has become one of the most exciting teams in the American Association to watch. It is truly a remarkable story. One that still has a whole lot of chapters left to write.

By Robert Pannier
Member of the IBWAA