Edwin Frank Basinski

Bats: R
Throws : R
Height: 6-1
Weight: 172 lb.
Born: November 4, 1922 in Buffalo, NY

Known as “The Fiddler” for the time he spent playing first violin in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo native Eddie Basinsi was no second fiddle as a second baseman, recording 1,426 hits and 579 RBI during his time in the PCL.

Basinski, 21 at the time, went straight from the University of Buffalo to the wartime Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944, where he took over as the regular shortstop while Pee Wee Reese was in the service.

He remained with the Dodgers in 1945 and resurfaced in the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947. In 203 games, he recorded a .244 batting average with 4 home runs and 59 RBI.

At the end of the 1947 season, he was sent down, beginning a 10-year run as the Portland Beavers’ second baseman. He showed his Ironman endurance in 1950, when he played every inning except four in Portland’s incredible 202-game season. Basinski racked up 1,426 hits for a .259 average with 99 homers and 579 RBI in 1,596 games for the Beavers.

In 1955, Basinski, who also was called "Mr. Portland Beaver," the most popular player in Rose City history, was voted the most popular player on the Beavers’ all-time team by the Portland fans.

Basinski remained a Beaver from 1947 to 1957, then wound down his Pacific Coast League career with brief tours with the Seattle Rainiers in 1957 and 1958, then with the Vancouver Mounties in 1960.

| Eddie Basinski | Dominic “Dom” DiMaggio | Bert Ellison |
| Tommy Lasorda | Dario Lodigiani | Bill Schuster | Bill Weiss |

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