Lee Bohlender

William Lee Bohlender

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Philipsburg High School

• Born August 3, 1928

Outfielder Lee Bohlender played eight years in the minor leagues, three of them at AA.

A basketball and baseball star in high school, Bohlender debuted in 1948 with the Marion Cubs and hit .267/~.355/.393 with 25 stolen bases. In 1949, he hit .305 with 88 RBI for the Lumberton Auctioneers. Bohlender played in 1950 for the Sioux Falls Canaries, where he posted a .273/~.346/.414 batting line. He swiped 29 bases, legged out 9 triples and scored 74 runs. He missed the 1951-1952 seasons, presumably due to military service.

Returning to Sioux Falls in 1953, the flyhawk hit .282/~.360/.373 and had 22 outfield assists, tying for second in the Northern League. With the 1954 Macon Peaches, he batted .300 and drove in 70.

Moving up to AA in 1955, Bohlender struggled with the Beaumont Exporters, managing just a .193 average. In 1956, he hit .276 for the Topeka Hawks and .267 for two Texas League teams, doing better in his second try at AA. Bohlender split 1957 between the Schenectady Blue Jays (.308/~.452/.436 in 14 games), Tulsa Oilers (0 for 8 in two games) and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He hit .268/~.381/.457 in 94 games for the Sky Sox, wit ha career-high 13 home runs.

After baseball, Bohlender worked as a police officer and firefighter in Dayton, OH.

Sources include 1949, 1951, 1954 and 1958 Baseball Guides and Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database