In celebration of Black History Month, throughout the month of February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at, the five best African American players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers went on to long and illustrious Major League Careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, just one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up in Binghamton Baseball History.

Bud Fowler (Binghamton Bingos) (1886-1887):

John W. “Bud” Fowler is recognized as the first black player in organized baseball (1878-1895). Fowler hit .350 in 34 games for Binghamton in the 1887 International League, mostly at second base, before a boycott by teammates and opponents caused him to be released. The Binghamton club itself disbanded in August of that same season.

Discouraged by continued incidents, he formed an all-Black Independent team with Grant “Home Run” Johnson, called the Page Fence Giants, which would go on to become one of the all-time great Black barnstorming teams. Fowler passed away on February 26, 1913 in Frankfort, NY just outside of Cooperstown, NY. Fowler was recently selected by the National Baseball Hall of Fame to be included as part of the 2022 Hall of Fame class.

Alphonso E. “Al” Downing (1961)

Downing began his pro career with the 1961 Binghamton Triplets as an unheralded 19-year old. Downing blanked opponents in 42 of his first 43 innings and was 9-1 when he was promoted to the New York Yankees after only 12 starts.

Al led the 1964 American league in strikeouts after a brilliant 1963 season. He was later traded in 1969 and was 20-9 with the 1971 Los Angeles Dodgers. Downing was inducted into the Binghamton Baseball Shrine in 1999.

Downing continues to have an impact on the community where his career started as an ambassador for Sock Out Cancer, a local organization founded by Security Mutual Life Insurance, Sock Out Cancer sells custom socks to raise funds to help financially distressed cancer patients and their families pay for non-medical necessities such as food, transportation, and housing.

Curtis Pride (1992)

Curtis Pride’s 1992 Opening Night pinch hit home run provided the first runs and victory in Binghamton Mets franchise history. As a left fielder, he played in 124 games including the playoffs and championship game which they won.

Almost totally deaf since birth, Pride went on to play in 421 Major League games in portions of 10 seasons, the most significant accomplishment since 1902 among players with similar severe handicaps. Most impressive, he spent the entire 1997 season with Detroit Tigers, a full-fledged .200 in 95 games over 192 at bats.

Curtis and his wife Lisa founded and manage, “Together with pride,” a Foundation benefitting young hearing impaired individuals. In 2016, Curtis Pride was appointed by Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. as an “Ambassador for Inclusion.”

Preston Wilson (1997)

Although his time in the Southern Tier was brief, this South Carolina native left his mark on the Eastern League. Following a mid-season promotion to Double-A in 1997, he capped the year with a flourish. In just 70 games, he launched 19 home runs, racked up 47 RBI and hit .286. A trade in 1998 for future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza brought him to the Florida Marlins where he burst onto the Major League scene.

In 1999 he hit 26 homers, drove in 71 runs and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. The next season, he became the first Marlin, and the only Major League player that year, to join the 30-30 club with 31 home runs and 36 stolen bases. He joined the Colorado Rockies in 2003 and compiled an All-Star season with a league-best 141 RBI.

The ninth overall pick in the 1992 draft enjoyed a 10-year Major League career that included a World Series Championship with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.

Jay Payton (1994 – 1995)

This Ohio native produced one of the best single-season hitting performances in Binghamton Mets franchise history. In 1995, just one year removed from his college ball days at Georgia Tech, the hard-nosed outfielder hit an eye-popping .345 to capture the Eastern League batting title. The mark has gone unmatched by a Binghamton player since. He added 20 doubles and 14 home runs in 85 games on his way to being named Eastern League Most Valuable Player, he was the first in Binghamton Mets history.

He went on to enjoy a 12-year career in the Major Leagues that included a sparkling rookie season with the New York Mets in 2000. As the Mets go-to center fielder that year, he hit .291 and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He served as a sparkplug for the Mets’ run to the National League pennant and capped his memorable season with a team-best .333 batting average in the World Series. His home run in Game 2 off Mariano Rivera cemented him as only the second, and last, player to homer off the future Hall of Famer in the postseason.