Chief Bender | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sheldon A. Bender November 25, 1919 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | February 27, 2008 (aged 88) Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Baseball player, manager, scout and executive |
| Years active | 1938–1941; 1946–2005 |
Sheldon "Chief" Bender (November 25, 1919 – February 27, 2008) was an American player and manager in minor league baseball and a scout, scouting director and farm system director in Major League Baseball who spent 64 years in the game.
Bender is most closely identified with the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent 39 years (1967–2005) as a front office executive and consultant. An associate of general manager Bob Howsam, Bender was Cincinnati's farm system director of the "Big Red Machine" era and served in that post for 22 years, 1967–88. His system produced such players as Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Sr., Dave Concepción, Don Gullett, Eric Davis and Paul O'Neill. The Reds' minor league player of the year award is named after him.