Frank C. Bolick

• Post by: mcalibrary
• January 11, 2024
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INDUCTEE

In the previous 100 plus years, only one graduate of Mount Carmel High School had ever played professional baseball – Joseph B. Young in 1892 – and that was for two innings, pitching for St Louis in the National League. That all changed in 1993 when Frank Bolick was announced as the starting third baseman for the Montreal Expos and manager Felipe Alou. Bolick would play most of that 93 season with the Expos at third base and first base, hitting 4 home runs and posting a .329 slugging percentage. He also posted a .992 fielding percentage. From 1994 thru 1997, Bolick played in the minor leagues for the Pittsburg Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, and Anaheim Angels. He also spent some time playing winter ball in the Mexican League. Franks’s perseverance paid off in 1998 when he was called up to the Anaheim Angels and played first, third, left field and was the designated hitter.

Bolick then took a gamble and signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Major League. He went on to have four solid seasons with the Marines, playing first, third, and excelling as the designated hitter. Bo was so beloved by the Japanese fans that he was elected to play in the Japanese All Star game in 2000 as the designated hitter. Frank hit over 100 home runs and batted just under .280 during his 4 years in Japan with his best being 31 HR’s in 2001, 102 RBI’s and .296 average in 2000. Frank became only the 5th foreign player in Japanese history to homer in his first ever at bat on April 14,1999. All this is even more impressive when you consider that Lotte Marine Stadium, with its deep outfields and winds blowing off the bay, make it one of the toughest stadiums in the league to homer.

Following graduation from Mount Carmel Area in 1985, Bolick received a full scholarship to play baseball for the Ramblin Wreck of Georgia Tech and coach Jim Morris. During his freshman season, Bolick set an ACC record for walks with 72 and set the Georgia Tech record for home runs by a freshman with 16. His team, that year, went 45-23 and won the ACC Championship and went on to play in the NCAA Tournament. The 45 wins represented the most ever for a Tech team up until that time. Bolick was then drafted in the 9th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987and played in A and AA minor league teams for the Brewers. He was then traded to the Seattle Mariners, where he played AA and AA from 1990 thru 1992, before being traded to the Expos.

In high school, Bolick was a four-year starter on the baseball team and led them into district play on three different occasions. Bo was also a three-year starter in football as a quarterback, fullback, halfback and defensive back. There are many people who believe that Bo could have gone to the NFL as a punter, with his 40 yard average and 4 to 5 second hang time.

Today, Bo joins classmates, Mike Diminick, Rob Varano, Maria Fantanarosa, and Joanne Menapace as members of the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. Frank makes his home in Kulpmont with his wife, Sue, and two daughters, Heather (9) and Jennifer (6).