Johnny Kling

Born: 11/13/1875 in Kansas City, MO, USA

Died: 1/31/1947 in Kansas City, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1900-09-11 | Final Game: 1913-09-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: John Kling

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Biography

Johnny Kling was a notable American baseball player who made significant contributions to the game during the early 20th century. Born in 1875, he played professionally from 1900 to 1909 and again from 1911 to 1913, establishing himself as a prominent figure in Major League Baseball. Throughout his career, Kling participated in 1,261 games, amassing 1,154 hits, 20 home runs, and 515 RBIs, while maintaining a career batting average of .272. His ability to steal bases was also evident, as he recorded 124 stolen bases, showcasing his speed and agility on the field. Kling was known for his versatility as a position player and was particularly recognized for his skills as a catcher. He played during an era when baseball was transitioning from the deadball era to a more offensive-oriented game, and he adapted to the changing dynamics of the sport. His contributions extended beyond his statistics, as he was a key player for teams like the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Braves, helping to shape the competitive landscape of baseball during his time. Johnny Kling’s legacy is remembered not only for his on-field performance but also for his role in the evolution of the game in the early 1900s.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1261	4246	475	1154	181	61	20	515	124	281	327	0.272	0.319	0.357	0.676	2669.4

Career AVG .272 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .357 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.

Career OPS 0.676 vs. league average 0.653 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1900	CHC	NL	15	51	8	15	3	1	0	7	0	2	3	0.294	.279 (+5%)	.338 (-5%)	.366 (+7%)	.705 (+1%)	-9.3
1901	CHC	NL	74	256	26	70	6	3	0	21	8	9	18	0.273	.271 (+1%)	.326 (-8%)	.359 (-11%)	.686 (-10%)	-452.9
1902	CHC	NL	115	436	50	126	19	3	0	59	25	29	26	0.289	.266 (+8%)	.321 (+4%)	.343 (+1%)	.665 (+2%)	169.4
1903	CHC	NL	132	491	67	146	29	13	3	68	23	22	38	0.297	.261 (+14%)	.316 (+4%)	.345 (+24%)	.662 (+14%)	1102.7
1904	CHC	NL	123	452	41	110	18	0	2	46	7	16	26	0.243	.246 (-1%)	.300 (-10%)	.321 (-8%)	.622 (-9%)	-765.0
1905	CHC	NL	111	380	26	83	8	6	1	52	13	28	23	0.218	.248 (-12%)	.307 (-11%)	.322 (-14%)	.629 (-13%)	-858.6
1906	CHC	NL	107	343	45	107	15	8	2	46	14	23	30	0.312	.247 (+26%)	.307 (+16%)	.315 (+33%)	.622 (+25%)	1351.2
1907	CHC	NL	104	334	44	95	15	8	1	43	9	27	16	0.284	.245 (+16%)	.304 (+12%)	.308 (+25%)	.613 (+19%)	987.9
1908	CHC	NL	126	424	51	117	23	5	4	59	16	21	33	0.276	.240 (+15%)	.298 (+5%)	.306 (+25%)	.605 (+15%)	953.9
1910	CHC	NL	91	297	31	80	17	2	2	32	3	37	27	0.269	.249 (+8%)	.317 (+11%)	.326 (+10%)	.644 (+11%)	629.6
1911	CHC	NL	27	80	8	14	3	2	1	5	1	8	14	0.175	.266 (-34%)	.336 (-26%)	.356 (-16%)	.693 (-21%)	-295.6
1911	BSN	NL	75	241	32	54	8	1	2	24	0	30	29	0.224	.266 (-16%)	.336 (-8%)	.356 (-19%)	.693 (-13%)	-295.6
1912	BSN	NL	81	252	26	80	10	3	2	30	3	15	30	0.317	.268 (+18%)	.335 (+6%)	.358 (+13%)	.694 (+10%)	389.6
1913	CIN	NL	80	209	20	57	7	6	0	23	2	14	14	0.273	.259 (+5%)	.325 (-2%)	.345 (+5%)	.670 (+2%)	-0.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
21	65	6	12	2	0	0	4	8	11	0.185

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1910	WS	CHN	5	13	0	1	0	1	1	2	0.077
1908	WS	CHN	5	16	2	4	1	2	2	2	0.250
1907	WS	CHN	5	19	2	4	0	1	1	4	0.211
1906	WS	CHN	6	17	2	3	1	0	4	3	0.176

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	12	8	79	3	3	3
3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
C	1169	600	5474	1554	210	127
OF	24	19	23	5	2	1
SS	1	0	1	2	2	1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1900	CHN	C	15	0	49	15	7	2
1901	CHN	1B	1	0	6	0	1	0
1901	CHN	C	69	0	319	75	20	7
1901	CHN	OF	1	0	3	0	0	0
1902	CHN	C	113	0	477	160	17	17
1902	CHN	SS	1	0	1	2	2	1
1903	CHN	C	132	0	565	189	24	13
1904	CHN	1B	6	5	51	0	2	2
1904	CHN	C	104	103	499	135	17	6
1904	CHN	OF	10	9	10	0	1	0
1905	CHN	1B	1	1	7	1	0	0
1905	CHN	C	106	106	538	136	24	12
1905	CHN	OF	4	3	4	0	0	0
1906	CHN	C	96	95	520	126	12	7
1906	CHN	OF	3	2	0	1	0	0
1907	CHN	1B	2	1	10	2	0	1
1907	CHN	C	98	98	499	109	8	11
1908	CHN	1B	2	1	5	0	0	0
1908	CHN	C	117	114	596	149	16	11
1908	CHN	OF	6	5	6	4	1	1
1910	CHN	C	86	84	407	118	11	10
1911	CHN	C	25	0	122	34	5	2
1911	BSN	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1911	BSN	C	71	0	302	106	21	6
1912	BSN	C	74	0	322	108	19	20
1913	CIN	C	63	0	259	94	9	3