Paul Lehner

Paul Eugene Lehner was an outfielder, primarily a center fielder, who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 through 1952. Born July 1, 1920, in Dolomite, Alabama, he batted and threw left-handed and stood 5 feet 9 inches. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II before beginning his professional career at age 25. Lehner reached the majors in 1946 with the St. Louis Browns, where he spent most of his early career through 1949. His most productive season came in 1950 with the Philadelphia Athletics, when he batted .309 with 9 home runs and 52 RBIs over 114 games. In 1951 he became one of the few players to appear for four different teams in a single season, moving among the Athletics, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Browns, and Cleveland Indians through a series of trades. He closed his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1952. Over 540 games he recorded 455 hits, 22 home runs, 197 RBIs, and a .257 batting average. He was nicknamed "Peanuts" or "Gulliver." Lehner died December 27, 1967, in Birmingham, Alabama, at age 47.