University of Richmond Athletics
Chiaravalloti Captures Minor League Triple Crown
09/05/2003 | Baseball
Sept. 5, 2003
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -
Vito Chiaravolloti has made history again. In 2002, his game-winning grand slam propelled the Richmond Spiders to a deciding third game of the NCAA SuperRegionals at Nebraska. In the spring of 2003, he was the MVP of the Atlantic 10 Championship Series. Now, in late summer of 2003, he's become the first Triple Crown winner in the 64-year-history of minor league baseball's New York Penn League.
Chiaravalloti, playing for Toronto's Class A Auburn (N.Y.) affiliate, hit .351 with 12 homers and 67 RBI in 68 games. The New York-Penn League is a short-season league, starting in mid-June after the annual amateur draft. Chiaravalloti, drafted in the 15th round, was one of five Spiders selected.
Chiaravalloti holds four Richmond career records - home runs (61), RBI (245), runs (220), and totals bases (531). He hit .329 in his four-year Spider career.
The last minor league Triple Crown winner was in 2001, when Jesus Cota of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization led the Class AA Texas League in batting and RBI and tied in home runs.
There have been 13 major league Triple Crown winners. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox was the last to accomplish the feat in 1967.
