Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball

Q: Who are the notable baseball players from Palm Beach County?

The article highlights several impactful figures from Palm Beach County's baseball history, including standout high school athletes who went on to excel in college and professional baseball.

Q: What is the purpose of voting for Palm Beach County's all-time best baseball players?

The voting aims to celebrate the county's rich baseball history and recognize influential players and coaches as part of a broader initiative honoring American sports figures.

Q: How is Palm Beach County's baseball history connected to the United States' 250th anniversary?

The celebration of Palm Beach County's baseball history is part of a larger effort by USA TODAY Sports to commemorate the 250 greatest American sports figures in conjunction with the nation's 250th anniversary.

Q: What criteria were used to select the baseball players for voting?

The players selected for voting were standouts at the high school level and have made significant impacts in college and professional baseball.

Palm Beach County's illustrious baseball history includes nearly a century of influential players and coaches at all levels of America's pastime.

USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time in conjunction with the United States' 250th anniversary.

Additionally, the USA TODAY Network will highlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states. This will include trailblazers and trendsetters whose influence reaches beyond championships and statistics. First, we are going to take a look at athletes in their individual sports.

This week, we're honoring the stars of baseball. As you can imagine, it was a difficult task to narrow this list down with so many impactful figures hailing from Palm Beach County.

Listed in alphabetical order, these players were all standouts at the high school level before moving on to even greater heights in college and the pros.

San Francisco Giants second baseman Robby Thompson(L) jumps over Chicago Cubs runner Ozzie Timmons(R) to complete a double play in the second inning June 14, 1992 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Palm Beach Gardens coach Joe Russo is doused by players Alex Wood (left) and Sean Koechler after a District 9-6A baseball game in 2006 at Jupiter High School. Palm Beach Gardens won the game, making coach Joe Russo's 400th career victory.

Herb Score

In 1977, the Boynton Beach City Council at its last meeting voted to post signs at entrances to the city, praising Rick Rhoden, the former Atlantic High School athlete who, at 22, was one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top pitchers.

John McCormack has been named the new baseball coach for Florida Atlantic University Tuesday, July 1, 2008.

Cardinal Newman baseball coach Jack Kokinda and members of his team Wednesday at baseball practice in 2003. Kokinda has been with Newman for 33 years; he will be inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame Sunday night

Dick Howser talks with media about his return to baseball after two operations to remove a brain tumor in 1987.

Coach Larry Greenstein (c) watches as catcher Cody Jacobs (Left) an d pitcher Darrin Downs sign their national letters of intent to play baseball at Florida International and South Carolina in 2002.

Palm Beach Central coach Scott Benedict won his 500th baseball game in 2012 against Boca Raton."It feels good any time you win," said Benedict. "I feel grateful, fortunate, and blessed. I am humbled by the whole thing."

Baseball card of Mayo Smith, a Lake Worth High grad who managed the Detroit Tigers to the '68 World Series

DENVER - JULY 7: Dante Bichette tips his cap during player introductions before the 69th MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field on July 7, 1998 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Palm Beach High School's H.M. "Red" Whittington (right) is greeted at the train station by principal Clyde Harris (left) after the school's football team pulled off an upset win in 1948.

Jul 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) runs the bases on a double during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Atlantic Christian baseball head coach Miguell Cuello celebrates his 400th career win in West Palm Beach on March 28, 2026.

OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 25: Kevin O'Sullivan of the Florida Gators observes the national anthem with his team prior to Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field on June 25, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

Aug 17, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Jonathan India (6) runs the bases against the Chicago White Sox after hitting a two run home run to tie the game in the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Former King's Academy baseball coach Wayne Sewell

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

San Francisco Giants second baseman Robby Thompson(L) jumps over Chicago Cubs runner Ozzie Timmons(R) to complete a double play in the second inning June 14, 1992 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

San Francisco Giants second baseman Robby Thompson(L) jumps over Chicago Cubs runner Ozzie Timmons(R) to complete a double play in the second inning June 14, 1992 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Herb Score

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

John McCormack has been named the new baseball coach for Florida Atlantic University Tuesday, July 1, 2008.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Dick Howser talks with media about his return to baseball after two operations to remove a brain tumor in 1987.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Coach Larry Greenstein (c) watches as catcher Cody Jacobs (Left) an d pitcher Darrin Downs sign their national letters of intent to play baseball at Florida International and South Carolina in 2002.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Baseball card of Mayo Smith, a Lake Worth High grad who managed the Detroit Tigers to the '68 World Series

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

DENVER - JULY 7: Dante Bichette tips his cap during player introductions before the 69th MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field on July 7, 1998 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach High School's H.M. "Red" Whittington (right) is greeted at the train station by principal Clyde Harris (left) after the school's football team pulled off an upset win in 1948.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Atlantic Christian baseball head coach Miguell Cuello celebrates his 400th career win in West Palm Beach on March 28, 2026.

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

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Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Former King's Academy baseball coach Wayne Sewell

More America 250: Palm Beach County's all-time best from boys basketball

More America 250: Palm Beach County's all-time best from girls basketball

Scott Benedict

Benedict is a seminal figure for multiple large public school baseball programs in Palm Beach County. He founded the baseball teams at Wellington High and Palm Beach Central and won a 588 games in 29 seasons as head coach, including an FHSAA state championship with the Wolverines in 1999. His coaching career also included stints at Forest Hill, North Shore High and time as an assistant at Florida Atlantic. Benedict's programs produced multiple MLB players, including Sean Burnett, Devon Travis and Brad Peacock as well as Bobby Bradley, the No. 8 overall pick in the 1999 MLB Draft.

Dante Bichette

DENVER - JULY 7: Dante Bichette tips his cap during player introductions before the 69th MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field on July 7, 1998 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Of all the sluggers to hail from Palm Beach County, few were better in their prime than Bichette. Anchoring the Colorado Rockies' lineup in the 1990s, he was a four-time All-Star selection who produced his best season in 1995, where he led the National League in home runs (40) and RBI (128). For his efforts, Bichette won the Silver Slugger and was runner-up to Barry Larkin in NL MVP voting. Bichette, a West Palm Beach native, developed his slugging power at Jupiter High School and Palm Beach Community College.

Miguel Cuello

Atlantic Christian baseball head coach Miguell Cuello celebrates his 400th career win in West Palm Beach on March 28, 2026.

No current Palm Beach County baseball coach has won more FHSAA state titles than Cuello, who won Class 2A championships in 2016 and 2017 at Trinity Christian. He is one of only three high school baseball coaches in Palm Beach County history to win multiple FHSAA state titles. He carved out a distinctive influence with the county's growing population of Caribbean and Latin American baseball players, helping numerous reach the collegiate and even professional level. Cuello recently secured his 400th career victory with Atlantic Christian, where he has coached since 2024 after the closure of Trinity Christian.

Larry Greenstein

Coach Larry Greenstein (c) watches as catcher Cody Jacobs (Left) an d pitcher Darrin Downs sign their national letters of intent to play baseball at Florida International and South Carolina in 2002.

Greenstein is Palm Beach County's winningest active high school baseball coach with more than 600 career wins at Santaluces and Park Vista over the past three decades. He led the Cobras to a state runner-up finish in 2008 and has led Park Vista to the FHSAA state semifinals on five occasions. Greenstein continues to churn out 20-win playoff teams at Park Vista, making him a top contender to be Palm Beach County's next 700-game winner and potentially surpass Jack Kokinda for the all-time county record.

Dick Howser

Dick Howser talks with media about his return to baseball after two operations to remove a brain tumor in 1987.

Howser's decorated baseball career got its start in West Palm Beach. Howser won the 1953 FHSAA state championship at Palm Beach High School, batting 1-2 alongside his brother Tommy. He then shined as an All-American shortstop at Florida State, setting a school record for single-season batting average. Howser signed with the Kansas City A's to begin his MLB career and was named an All-Star in 1961, the highlight of an eight-year professional playing career. He later managed the New York Yankees, battling with famed owner George Steinbrenner, and the Kansas City Royals, where he won the World Series in 1985. Howser died from brain cancer at age 51 in 1987. Florida State honored Howser by naming its baseball stadium after him. In Palm Beach County, the "Dick Howser High School All-Star Game" is hosted annually in Jupiter.

Jonathan India

India has enjoyed success at every step of his baseball journey, which began with his varsity playing days at American Heritage-Delray under longtime coach Carm Mazza. He rose to national prominence with the Florida Gators, winning an NCAA championship in 2017 and SEC Player of the Year in 2018. India was the No. 5 overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft and won National League Rookie of the Year for his debut 2021 season. He currently plays for the Kansas City Royals in the sixth season of his professional career.

Jack Kokinda

Kokinda is the winningest high school baseball coach in Palm Beach County history with 703 wins across 41 years at Cardinal Newman. Though he never won a state championship, coming closest in 1993 as a state runner-up, Kokinda averaged 17 wins per season, producing 17 district championship teams and three region title winners. He was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

John McCormack

John McCormack has been named the new baseball coach for Florida Atlantic University Tuesday, July 1, 2008.

McCormack is a cornerstone of college baseball in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County with 35 years of coaching experience at Florida Atlantic University. He began his coaching career as an assistant with the Owls in 1991 under Kevin Cooney, who helped take the program into NCAA Division I. McCormack succeeded Cooney as head coach in 2008 and FAU baseball has won the Sun Belt twice, Conference USA twice and made six NCAA Regional appearances in that span. He played varsity baseball at Pope John Paul II in Boca Raton prior to his coaching career.

Carm Mazza

American Heritage-Delray coach Carm Mazza won his 500th career game on April 13 when the Stallions beat Naples-Aubrey Rogers.

Mazza founded the baseball program at American Heritage's Palm Beach campus in Delray in 1999. He's won more than 500 games in two and a half decades as the program's leader, reaching the FHSAA state semifinals on five occasions. He came ever so close to winning FHSAA state titles in 2012 and 2019, finishing as state runner-up. One of Mazza's most talented teams, the 2020 Stallions, endured the hard luck of the COVID-19 pandemic, spoiling an 11-0 start and a preseason national ranking.

Kevin O’Sullivan

The Florida Gators' veteran baseball head coach got his start in Jupiter, where he starred for the Warriors before continuing his playing career at Florida Community College and the University of Virginia. He returned to Palm Beach County early in his coaching career as an assistant at Florida Atlantic. 12 years later, O'Sullivan earned his first head coaching job with the Gators, a role he holds to this day. Florida has been one of college baseball's top programs under the Jupiter High graduate, winning two thirds of its games, reaching the College World Series nine times and winning a national championship in 2017.

Rick Rhoden

Rhoden, a Boynton Beach native, enjoyed a 16-year professional baseball career in the 1970s and 80s as a pitcher for the Dodgers, Yankees, Astros and Pirates. A two-time All-Star selection, he won 151 career games as a starter and earned a reputation as one of baseball's best hitting pitchers, winning the Silver Slugger award three times from 1984-86. Rhoden played high school baseball at Seacrest High, now Atlantic High, in Delray Beach.

Joe Russo

Russo has been a fixture of high school baseball in Palm Beach County since the 1990s. He built Palm Beach Gardens baseball into an annual playoff contender in the early 2000s, reaching the FHSAA state semifinals on four occasions. He's second among active baseball coaches in Palm Beach County with more than 600 career wins. Now coaching Cardinal Newman after a brief retirement, Russo has a chance to join Newman legend Jack Kokinda in the county's 700-win club.

Herb Score

"Lake Worth's Lost Legend" remains one of the greatest baseball players to hail from the western shores of the lagoon. Score threw six no-hitters and led lake Worth to its only state baseball championship in 1952. He enjoyed an eight-year MLB career with the Indians and White Sox, earning 1955 American League Rookie of the Year and two All-Star selections. His professional career was famously derailed in 1957 when he was struck in the face by a line drive. Baseball legend Mickey Mantle once said Score was "the toughest pitcher I've ever faced." Score is a member of the Palm Beach County and Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

Wayne Sewell

Former King's Academy baseball coach Wayne Sewell

Sewell left his position as an assistant coach at Palm Beach Atlantic in 1989 to take over as King's Academy's head coach, transforming the Lions' baseball program into a state contender. King's Academy won FHSAA state titles under Sewell in 1992 and 2001, making him one of only three high school baseball coaches in Palm Beach County history to win multiple FHSAA state titles. Sewell finished with 310 career wins in 15 seasons at King's.

Mayo Smith

Baseball card of Mayo Smith, a Lake Worth High grad who managed the Detroit Tigers to the '68 World Series

Smith enjoyed a long career in professional baseball as a player, manager and scout, leading the Detroit Tigers to a World Series title in 1968. He got his start in Lake Worth, starring for the school's football and basketball teams while serving as class president. Mayo played baseball on a semi-pro team in Palm Beach County and was later discovered and signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a brief playing career, he worked his way through New York Yankees system as a coach, eventually managing the Phillies, Reds and Tigers.

Robby Thompson

San Francisco Giants second baseman Robby Thompson(L) jumps over Chicago Cubs runner Ozzie Timmons(R) to complete a double play in the second inning June 14, 1992 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Thompson, a two-time MLB All-Star, was the starting second baseman for the San Francisco Giants for 11 consecutive years from 1986-96. He won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award in 1993 and was later selected the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame. Thompson has deep Palm Beach County roots: He was born in West Palm Beach, played high school baseball at Forest Hill and was the starting shortstop at Palm Beach Junior College. He emerged as a professional prospect at the University of Florida and was a first round pick in the 1983 MLB Draft.

Trea Turner

Turner, a Boynton Beach native, has come a long way from his days at Park Vista High School. He's currently in the 12th season of his MLB career and he's racked up plenty of achievements along the way. Turner is a three-time All-Star, two-time National League batting champion, two-time NL stolen bases leader and a Silver Slugger Award winner at shortstop. He won a World Series in 2019 with the Washington Nationals before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021. Turner then signed an 11-year, $300-million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He remains at the top of his game, taking fifth in NL MVP voting in 2025.

H.M. "Red" Whittington

Palm Beach High School's H.M. "Red" Whittington (right) is greeted at the train station by principal Clyde Harris (left) after the school's football team pulled off an upset win in 1948.

The founding father of Palm Beach baseball, Whittington led Palm Beach High School's baseball program for 17 seasons, winning three FHSAA state titles, including the county's first in baseball in 1938. He left his position for a tour in the Army in 1941 during World War II but returned after the war to serve as the school's athletic director, football and baseball coach. Whittington won his final baseball state title in 1953 and is still the only high school baseball coach in Palm Beach County history to win three FHSAA state titles. He counted local legends like Dick Howser and Burt Reynolds among his pupils and is a member of the Palm Beach County and FHSAA Hall of Fame.

Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball

Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball

TL;DR

Key points

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Palm Beach County's all-time best figures from baseball

Scott Benedict

Dante Bichette

Miguel Cuello

Larry Greenstein

Dick Howser

Jonathan India

Jack Kokinda

John McCormack

Carm Mazza

Kevin O’Sullivan

Rick Rhoden

Joe Russo

Herb Score

Wayne Sewell

Mayo Smith

Robby Thompson

Trea Turner

H.M. "Red" Whittington

Q&A

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