Baseball in Pinellas County

A Florida Home to Baseball Stars

Pinellas County is known for hosting spring training for Major League Baseball teams, as well as the hometown Tampa Bay Rays. Yet there is another side to the county’s baseball history--its local people and teams. Some made it to the Majors, such as Howard Johnson, Casey Kotchman and Toby Hall. Several coached or scouted in the pros, including Tom Kotchman, Tom Zimmer and Tim Wilken. Hundreds of Pinellas ballplayers have been drafted by Major League Baseball, forty-four alone out of Seminole High School. And then there is the tragic tale of Steve Georgiadis, whose life ended during routine surgery. Author Dan Hirshberg brings the heroes of Pinellas County baseball to the forefront.

Dan Hirshberg is an award-winning author, publicist and columnist who writes feature stories about the baseball people of Pinellas County, Florida, for the Tampa Bay Weekly News Group. He authored a biography of Phil Rizzuto (Phil Rizzuto: A Yankee Tradition). For a younger audience, he’s written books about John Elway, Lawrence Taylor, Emmitt Smith and Tim Hardaway. Dan is also the former sports editor of a New Jersey newspaper and has written articles for Baseball Digest and other publications. He has been recognized by the Florida Press Association and other industry organizations for both his writing and public relations work. To read more articles by Dan, visit tbnweekly.com.