There was a time when NY Tech was among the best programs in the region. During the legendary career of Bob Hirschfield, who received Axcess Baseball’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024, he won over 660 games, had 4 ABCA All-Americans and sent dozens of players to pro ball.
One of their best players in program history was Kraig Binick, who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles following a stellar four-year career for the Bears in which he was named the Division-I Independent Player of the Year in 2007 after batting .406 with a 1.123 OPS.
Binick’s name is all over the program’s record book, finishing with the most triples (13), second most runs scored (175), second most hits (270) and third most stolen bases (114).
It wasn’t always a slam dunk, however, that his future would be on the diamond. But first, we’ll need to turn back the clock to set the stage.
Early Days
Kraig was born in Brooklyn, NY as the youngest of three boys. His family moved to Hicksville, NY when he was just 6 months old. While his parents were not involved in organized sports in their younger days, Kraig noted they were both athletic which the boys certainly inherited.
His oldest brother, Kenny, was an All-State wrestler at Chaminade and went on to attend the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. His other brother, Kris, was also an athlete and ran cross country at St. Dominic HS.
Kraig continued to play four sports – soccer, wrestling, baseball, football and basketball.
He also played travel baseball with teams such as the LI Bulls and Old Westbury Wolves during his younger days. His Wolves team won a National Championship in 2000 in Ohio – their roster included Mike Myers (Adelphi), Craig Cooper (Notre Dame) and Billy Simpson (South Carolina).
When it was time for high school, Binick chose to follow the path of his oldest brother, Kenny, and become a Flyer.
Chaminade HS
As is usually the case with Chaminade, players play with their age group so Binick played JV baseball, football and basketball in 9th and 10th grade. He was named MVP of the JV team as a sophomore.
During his junior season, Chaminade lost to St. John the Baptist in the CHSAA Finals. That summer, he played for the Long Island Titans. That team was absolutely loaded, it featured John Lannan, Mike Ambort, Dennis Donovan, Bryan Cippola, Jason Appel and Paul Gibson III. He also participated in the Empire State Games playing for two legendary coaches – Doug Robins and Bill Batewell.
He enjoyed tremendous success on the gridiron his senior season. He led the league in interceptions before being moved to running back where he ran for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in 6 games while also throwing two touchdown passes. He was named first-team All-Long Island, Daily News All-City, Team MVP and played in the Empire Challenge against NYC.
He was also the recipient of the John R Lenz Semper Fidelis Award which is for dedication and pursuit of excellence in athletics at Chaminade.
Due to his massive success, it changed the dynamic of his college recruiting experience. He mentioned he was recruited to several schools – some for football, some for baseball and some for both. Fordham, Marist, Rhode Island, St. John’s, Cortland, to name a few.
Legendary NY Tech coach Bob Hirschfield attended one of his games against Holy Trinity and he happened to hit an inside the park home run.
“Coach Hirsch clocked me at 12 seconds around the bases, he offered me a full scholarship and told me I would play right away and it’s my spot to lose,” said Binick.
He decided that was the best fit for him.
“NY Tech worked quick. I knew it would be a great decision. I’d start right away and they always played really solid teams like the America East, Columbia, Harvard, Yale. So I put football aside.
That season, Binick was the recipient of the Gold Glove Award in the Catholic League.
NY Tech
Coach Hirschfield stayed true to his word and started Binick right away. He played in 50 games, notched 64 hits (.332 AVG), hit 2 homers, drove in 33 runs, stole 26 bases in 29 attempts and scored 40 runs.
It was clear that Binick made the right decision to attend NY Tech.
The Bears won the 2004 Independent Invitational Championship which took place from May 20-22 in Greeley, Colorado. They defeated Pace University and junior Andrew Karkoulas earned tournament MVP after going 5-for-10 in the first two games and pitching 8 innings in the championship. The Bears crushed 8 homers and 8 doubles in the 3 games.
It was their first championship since winning the NYS Conference in 2001.
“Hirsch was like a dad and a coach. It was more than I even expected. He always offered great advice and he really cared about your future. It did wonders for me as a person. It built a strong foundation for the future. The chemistry on the team was great. As a freshman, the seniors really took me in and made life great. I have no regrets.”
He continued to perform exceptionally well, batting .358 with a .406 OBP and .881 OPS as a sophomore. He stole 31 bases and was caught just three times. His junior season was very similar – he batted .354 with an .887 OPS and was successful on 25-of-28 stolen base attempts.
NY Tech had a great season, going 31-22, and they were the recipient of the National Team of the Week by College Baseball Insider for the week from April 24-30.
Binick noted they got to play some great teams such as Notre Dame, William & Mary, Florida International and Texas & M Corpus Christi.
During that summer he played in the Northwoods League where he performed very well, was named an All-Star and “started to really get attention and coach told me teams were interested.”
It was in his senior season that he really excelled. During one game against NJ Tech at the Newark Bears Stadium he crushed two homers in one inning. He was named the Division-I Independent Player of the Year.
Here was his season stats:
- Games: 52
- Runs: 58
- Hits: 84 (school record)
- Doubles: 18
- Triples: 5
- HRs: 8
- RBIs: 35
- SBs: 32-for-36
- AVG: .406
- OPS: 1.123
Binick was invited to a pre draft workout with the Baltimore Orioles at Wagner College and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
That week he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round of the 2007 MLB Draft.
Pro Ball
Binick’s pro career can be broken down into two segments – affiliated ball and independent.
He had a very respectable three-year career in the Baltimore Orioles system from 2007-2009. He was named an Appalachian League All Star and twice was named Topps Player of the Week.
He was called up to Double-AA in 2009 where he notched 4 hits in three games. Unfortunately, he was released that season and was seeking other opportunities to stay in pro ball.
He had many stops over the next three seasons – including playing a couple stints in the Mexican League where he won two Rawlings Gold Gloves and led the league in hits as well as hitting over .300 in 3 seasons.
“The crowd there is amazing. They are very enthusiastic, and wins & losses mean everything. They really pack the stands and it is a cutthroat environment. You had to perform and I loved that.”
Binick’s best professional seasons came with the Long Island Ducks. In 2011, he played in 106 games. He slashed .343/.429/.448 with 72 runs scored, 47 RBIs and 42-for-47 on stolen base attempts. He became just the second Ducks player to win the batting title.
That followed his 2010 season with the Sussex Skyhawks in the CanAm League in which he stole 45 bases.
Overall, Binick played in 3 seasons for the Ducks, helping them to 3 Liberty Division titles and 2 Atlantic League titles. He was twice named an Atlantic League All Star. Additionally, he played his best ball when it mattered most – batting .352 over his 26 career postseason games.
Looking back, Binick has nothing but fond memories of his time playing with the Ducks:
“I had an amazing time with the Ducks,” he said. “It’s a great organization from everyone at the front desk to the field.”
After one more stint in the Mexican League in 2013, Binick decided he needed to step away and hang up the cleats.
The Next Chapter
After the season, it was time to begin the post-playing chapter of his career. He had already got one foot in the door when he was an assistant coach under Rick Garrett at St. Dominic during the 2011 season. Once Garrett became the head coach at St. Joseph’s LI, Binick joined him on staff as the hitting coach.
His career is now as a Licensed Associate Broker at Coldwell Banker. They have offices in Greenwich, CT and White Plains, NY. He’s been serving in that role for about a year and a half. He was the #88 individual for total closed units in the first half of 2025 in Westchester and Rockland County. He is also #92 in Westchester and Rockland County for closed adjusted gross commission incomes.
Prior to that, he got his start in the industry as an associate broker at William Raveis Real Estate.
That all started from a simple conversation at a BBQ at his brother’s house which later turned out to be the second act of his career.
He is also a territory sales manager for Leading Edge Fundraising which helps sports teams and organizations fundraise.
Additionally, he continued to stay involved in baseball in limited capacities. He gave hitting lessons on the side which parlayed into being the lead hitting instructor at Complete Sports Performance. He also was an assistant coach at North Shore HS for a season and coaches his older son, Bradley, in Little League. His younger son, Bryce, will be starting t-ball this season and he plans on coaching him as well. He has been married since 2015.
Recently, the Long Island Ducks named their 25th anniversary team, where he was selected as the 23rd member. He was also named to their All-Decade team.
Binick’s passion for baseball has brought him all over North America and now he will be able to re-live it once again through coaching his children.