Len Okrie

Who is Len Okrie?

Leonard Joseph Okrie is a retired American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Okrie stood 6'2" tall, weighed 185 pounds, and batted and threw right-handed.

Okrie's playing career stretched from 1942 through 1957, with three seasons missed due to World War II service in the United States Navy. Drafted by the Washington Senators out of the Chicago Cubs farm system in November 1947, Okrie would spend only one full season in the Major Leagues as Washington's third-string catcher. He spent parts of the 1948 and 1951 campaigns with Washington, and appeared in one game for the 1952 Boston Red Sox. Overall, Okrie appeared in 42 games, with 78 at bats, 17 hits, no home runs, three runs batted in, and a .218 batting average.

He managed in the Boston farm system from 1954–1960 and in 1963, and was the Red Sox' Major League bullpen coach in 1961–1962 and 1965–1966. He then joined his hometown Detroit Tigers as a minor league manager and MLB bullpen coach. His career record as a minor league manager was 912 wins, and 1,013 defeats. Okrie won one league pennant, in the Appalachian League during his maiden season as a skipper.