By Paul Semendinger
June 28, 2024
***
NOTE - This article was originally written for the IBWAA and was published in their daily newsletter Here's the Pitch on Saturday, June 22, 2024
***
Fun With The Binghamton Triplets
A few weeks ago, I created a list of the best players in baseball who played for both the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees. I joked that I might have to next look at the Binghamton Triplets...
Well, that joke stuck in my mind, and it became something I had to do.
The Binghamton Triplets were a minor-league team in New York state that played in various leagues and at various levels from 1923 to 1968. The Triplets, at various times, were associated with the New York Yankees, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Kansas City A's.
They got their nickname because they represented three cities: Binghamton, Johnson City, and Endicott.
I was able to create an all-time All-Star team of former Triplets. (For the bullpen, I had to convert some pitchers who were typically starters.)
Here they are:
C - Thurman Munson - 7-time All-Star, 1970 A.L. Rookie of the Year, 1976 A.L. Most Valuable Player
1B - Bill "Moose" Skowron - 8-time All-Star, played in 8 World Series
2B - Bobby Richardson - 8-time All-Star, Played in 7 World Series (1960 W.S. Most Valuable Player), 5 Gold Gloves
SS - Bert Campaneris - 6- time All-Star, played in 3 World Series
3B - Clete Boyer - played in 5 World Series, Gold Glove winner
LF - Andy Pafko - 5-time All-Star, played in 5 World Series
CF - Bill Virdon - 1955 N.L. Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove Winner, played in 1 World Series
RF - Tommy Holmes - 2-time All-Star, played in 2 World Series, lifetime .302 batting average
DH - Deron Johnson - led N.L. in RBI's in 1965, played in 1 World Series
SP - Whitey Ford - member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
SP- Lefty Gomez - member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
SP- Spud Chandler - 1943 A.L. Most Valuable Player
SP - Vic Raschi - pitched in 6 World Series, 4-time All-Star
SP - Freddie Fitzsimmons - pitched in 3 World Series, led the N.L. in Winning Percentage 2-times
RP - Ralph Terry - Pitched in 5 World Series (1962 World Series MVP), 2-time All-Star
RP - Bob Grim - 1954 A.L. Rookie of the Year
RP - Al Downing - Pitched in 4 World Series, 1-time All-Star
MGR - Tony LaRussa - member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Coaches - Ralph Houk, Cito Gaston, John McNamara
I am happy there was no professional baseball team called the Quadruplets.
[Editor’s Note: There is a minor-league team based called the Quad Cities River Bandits, a High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals in the Midwest League who play home games at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa, one of the Quad Cities.]
***
Dr. Paul Semendinger, a proud grandpa, is the author of 365.2: Going the Distance, From Compton to the Bronx, The Least Among Them, Scattering the Ashes, and more. Paul runs the Yankees site Start Spreading the News. You can find Paul on Twitter @DrPaulRSem
