The Albany Senators was a name used by multiple

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

teams representing

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, that existed between 1885 and 1959. The mid-20th century club played at Hawkins Stadium. The various editions of the Senators generally played in higher-classification leagues such as the New York State League, the Eastern League that played between 1916 and 1932, the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, the 1923–37 New York–Pennsylvania League, and the modern Eastern League, in which it played 22 consecutive seasons, 1938–59, before the team disbanded. An early Senators team also played in "outlaw" minor leagues such as the Hudson River League during the 19th century in between stints in "organized baseball." The Senators won six league championships over their organized baseball history, the last in . The club was a powerhouse during the 1940s as a Class A

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, posting winning records between 1942 and 1948, making the Eastern League playoffs six times, leading in attendance five times, and taking the 1945 EL championship. Among the Pittsburgh farmhands who played for the club was Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, in 1941–42.Baseball Reference
/ref> Over the years, different Senators teams also were affiliated with MLB clubs such as the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, Washington Senators,

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

and

Kansas City Athletics The Kansas City Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1955 to 1967, having previously played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Athletics. After moving in 1967, the team became the ...

. The last-place 1959 Senators — the latest in a succession of poor clubs — drew only 45,000 fans for the season and Albany was dropped from the Eastern League when it contracted from eight to six teams for 1960. Professional baseball and the EL would not return to New York's state capital until 1983, when the West Haven A's moved to the area as the Albany-Colonie A's (now the Richmond Flying Squirrels). The current pro baseball team in the Albany area is the

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

. The

Senators became the Jersey City Giants in 1937.

Notable alumni

* Gus Bell * Al Benton * Como Cotelle * Al Gionfriddo * Pumpsie Green *

Stan Hack Stanley Camfield Hack (December 6, 1909 – December 15, 1979), nicknamed "Smiling Stan", was an American third baseman and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago Cubs and was the Na ...

* Ralph Kiner * George McQuinn * Bill Monbouquette * Johnny Murphy * Bobo Newsom * Albie Pearson * Alabama Pitts * Jake Powell * Red Rolfe * Lloyd Russell * Al Silvera * Mose Solomon, the "Rabbi of Swat" * Frank Sullivan * Billy Werber * Earl Wilson * Taft Wright * John Wyatt

References

Notes Sources * Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, eds., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina:

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

, 2007. {{New York-Pennsylvania League (1923-1937) , state=collapsed Baseball teams established in 1885 Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams Defunct baseball teams in New York (state) Defunct International League teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1959 Sports in Albany, New York Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Kansas City Athletics minor league affiliates New York Yankees minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates 1885 establishments in New York (state) 1959 disestablishments in New York (state) New York State League teams Hudson River League teams Eastern League (1916–1932) teams Defunct Eastern Association teams