YOUR 1966 BRAVES: #11 Lee Bales

#11 LEE BALES
Infielder

What came before: For a couple of seasons, Bales was the next sure-thing infielder. A switch-hitter, his coming-of-age season seemed to be 1965, when he finally made it to AAA and played for the final Atlanta Crackers team.
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He hit .261, stole 20 bases at Austin before moving up to Atlanta and was effective at both middle infield positions. He was a California product, signed away by the Braves at age 18 just after he started his collegiate career.

That 1966 season: He was made a full-time second baseman that spring, a position that was crying for stability at the major league level but had no shortage of candidates. Playing every day at Triple-A Richmond, Bales did everything right – hitting for a decent average, bunting guys over (11 sacrifices). But he had to wait until August to finally make major league debut.
Bales got into 12 games and picked up one lone hit. He was largely used as a defensive replacement, and did not disappoint; he played errorless baseball.

What came next: Bales was perceived as a player with value, as he was acquired by the Astros that October in a six-player deal. But his '67 season was much like 1966. But got into 19 games for the Astros, managing three hits and his only two major league RBIs. But in 1968, his minor league average dropped from .272 to .200 and the infielder was out of baseball at age 24.
Bales has lived in Texas since winding up with the Astros and has been an investment advisor for the last 45 years, operating a self-named firm since 2000.