Bobby Kline

American baseball player (1929–2021)

Baseball player

Bobby Kline
Shortstop
Born: (1929-01-27)January 27, 1929 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Died: October 26, 2021(2021-10-26) (aged 92) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 11, 1955, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
September 25, 1955, for the Washington Senators
MLB statistics
Batting average	.221
Home runs	0
Runs batted in	9

Teams
Washington Senators (1955)

John Robert Kline (January 27, 1929 – October 26, 2021) was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop, his 12-year career included one season in Major League Baseball as a member of the 1955 Washington Senators. Kline threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 179 pounds (81 kg).

Biography

Kline was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. His career began in 1947 at the Class C level of minor league baseball. By 1950, he was part of the New York Yankees' organization.^[1] In 1954 he was the All-Star shortstop of the Double-A Southern Association, and at the end of that season he was selected by Washington in the Rule 5 draft. He was the starting shortstop for the home side in the annual Presidential Opener at Griffith Stadium on April 11, 1955; he was hitless in two at-bats against Lou Kretlow of the Baltimore Orioles and left the game for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning.^[2] He then started four more games at shortstop for Washington, but by April 20, he was still looking for his first MLB hit, having gone 0-for-13. After a spell on the bench, Kline's playing time increased in May and June, and by June 7, he had raised his batting average to .263, his high-water mark for the year. He fell into another drought at the plate, however, and started only one game for the Senators after July 17.^[3]

He finished his one major league season with a .221 batting average in 77 games played and 140 at-bats, with nine career runs batted in; his 31 hits included 5 doubles. He started 44 games at shortstop (second to José Valdivielso) and 3 at second base. At shortstop, he compiled a fielding percentage of .943 with 15 errors in 265 total chances. In February 1956, the Senators traded him back to the Yankees as part of a six-player transaction. Kline retired from the game in 1958, having played 11 seasons in the minor leagues for 10 teams.

Kline died on October 26, 2021, in St. Petersburg.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "Bobby Kline Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
^ Retrosheet box score: 1955-04-11
^ Retrosheet: 1955 WAS A Batting Log for Bobby Kline