South Dakota: Sparky Anderson
It might be a stretch to call Sparky Anderson a baseball player, but we’re not working with much in the state of South Dakota. The tiny second baseman only played one full season in the big leagues, and it was wildly unimpressive. Anderson batted just .218/.282/.249 in 152 games in 1959 for the Philadelphia Phillies. He did go back to the minors and play four more seasons at Triple-A after that brief taste of the big leagues, but never made it back.
Anderson is remembered as a manager, and his skills in the dugout earned him a place in the Hall of Fame. From 1970 to 1979, he managed the Big Red Machine, winning four NL pennants and two World Series. After leaving Cincinnati, Anderson managed the Tigers to the 1984 title. He would retire in 1995 with 2,194 total wins as a manager.
In terms of players, the best to come out of South Dakota could be Mark Ellis. He had 1,343 hits over 12 seasons in the big leagues. Floyd Bannister won 134 games over 15 seasons and did make the All-Star Game once. Closer Keith Foulke saved 191 games and was a 2004 Red Sox team that snapped the Curse of the Bambino.