Bobby Kline

John Robert Kline (born January 27, 1929) is an American former 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). He was born in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Bobby Kline
Shortstop
Born: (1929-01-27) January 27, 1929
St. Petersburg, Florida
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 runs0
Runs batted in9
Teams
  • Washington Senators (1955)

Biography

Kline's 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 five doubles. He started 44 games at shortstop (second to José Valdivielso) and three 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 ten teams.

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References
  1. Baseball Reference
  2. Retrosheet box score: 1955-04-11
  3. Retrosheet: 1955 WAS A Batting Log for Bobby Kline


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