Phoenixville's Mike Piazza Selected As All-Time Great Athlete From Philly Area

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- Oftentimes our favorite athletes come to be icons for cities purely by chance. They weren't born there, they didn't go to school there, but rather happened to be picked in the draft, or happened to be traded at the right time - and the rest is history.

But MLB.com was interested in what local, homegrown talent defined each city and its immediate surrounding area. Who are the greatest baseball players from all 27 Major League cities?

For Philadelphia, writers selected three Hall of Famers: Reggie Jackson, of Abington, Mike Piazza, of Phoenixville, and Roy Campanella, of Germantown.

Souderton's Jamie Moyer and Germantown's Bucky Walters were also picked.

Here's what they had to say about Piazza:

"By now, Piazza's story is the stuff of legends: Drafted as a favor by family friend Tommy Lasorda, Piazza blossomed into the best-hitting catcher of all time. Piazza's father, Vince, knew Lasorda from childhood in Norristown, the Philadelphia suburb where Mike was born. Mike grew up idolizing Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt, and he retired with a better career batting average."

During his storied 16-year career, Piazza made 12 All-Star teams, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and won the NL Silver Slugger Award 10 times.

Photo by Tom Sunnergren of Mike Piazza visiting Phoenixville Area High School in 2012