Ex-MLB pitcher Cole Hamels's Missouri estate heads to auction
Ex-MLB pitcher Cole Hamels's former 104-acre Missouri lakefront estate will go to auction September 17, with bidding starting just under $3 million—far below its $14.5 million ask in 2024. The bank-ordered sale includes an unfinished 36,000-square-foot mansion and guest residence on Table Rock Lake.
The sprawling compound in Branson West, Missouri, is one of the most unusual celebrity-linked listings in luxury real estate this year. A gated entrance still carries Hamels's initials, even though the former Philadelphia Phillies star has not owned the property for years.
Key Takeaways
- The 104-acre Table Rock Lake estate opens for online bidding September 17, closing September 24 at 11 a.m. CT.
- Starting bid is just under $3 million—less than half the $7.75 million April listing and well below the 2024 $14.5 million ask.
- The planned 36,000-square-foot main house remains unfinished, alongside a 3,600-square-foot guest residence.
- Hamels donated the property to Camp Barnabas; a later Arizona couple foreclosed after renovation costs mounted.
- Rick Billington of Target Auction Company is handling the Regent Bank sale.
Why is Cole Hamels's Missouri estate going to auction?
The property landed with Regent Bank after foreclosure of its most recent owners, an Arizona-based couple who bought the estate from Camp Barnabas in 2021. They spent years renovating the enormous spread before financial trouble forced them to leave the project unfinished.
There is no indication that Hamels, who originally commissioned the home, is connected to the foreclosure. The sale is a bank-ordered online auction—a steep markdown from prior listing prices that signals how far unfinished mega-mansions can fall when buyers walk away mid-project.
What happened to the unfinished mansion after Hamels left?
Hamels began building the estate in 2016 while playing for the Texas Rangers, envisioning a dream home for himself and then-wife Heidi Strobel. The couple never moved in. After deciding to make Texas their permanent home, they donated the unfinished property to Camp Barnabas, a Missouri charity serving children with disabilities.
When the property hit the market in 2024 for $14.5 million, the owners said they had poured substantial work into the compound. Upgrades included new plumbing and electrical systems, a beach-entry infinity pool, and conversion of the massive main house into an event space while they lived in a separate guest annex.
What does the 104-acre Branson West property include?
The vast spread offers more than 1,700 feet of frontage on Table Rock Lake. The planned 36,000-square-foot home features vaulted ceilings, exposed wood beams, and integrated smart home technology. A separate five-bedroom, six-bath guest residence spans about 3,600 square feet, and an additional structure provides storage for RVs and boats.
Despite prior renovations, the estate is being sold once again in an unfinished state—buyers inherit both the scale of Hamels's original vision and the risk of completing a project that has changed hands multiple times.
How much could the lakefront estate sell for?
Bidding starts just under $3 million when the auction opens September 17. That represents less than half of the $7.75 million asking price attached when the property was most recently listed in April, and a sharp drop from the $14.5 million tag it carried in 2024.
The auction closes September 24 at 11 a.m. CT and is being held by Rick Billington of Target Auction Company. For full details and photos, see the Robb Report listing.