Johnny Kling
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1900-1913)
Johnny Kling was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1900 to 1913 for the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Braves, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,261 career games, he hit .272 with 1,154 hits, 20 home runs, and 515 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,146.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 160 lb
- Died
- 1/31/1947 in Kansas City, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1900-09-11
- Last Game
- 1913-09-21
Full name: John Kling
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,261 | 4,246 | 475 | 1,154 | 181 | 61 | 20 | 515 | 124 | 281 | 327 | .272 | .319 | .357 | .676 | 3,146 |
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 .676 vs. league average .653 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | CHN | NL | 15 | 51 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .294 | .279 (+5%) | .338 (-5%) | .366 (+7%) | .705 (+1%) | -9.0 |
| 1901 | CHN | NL | 74 | 256 | 26 | 70 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 18 | .273 | .271 (+1%) | .326 (-8%) | .359 (-11%) | .686 (-10%) | -390.9 |
| 1902 | CHN | NL | 115 | 436 | 50 | 126 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 59 | 25 | 29 | 26 | .289 | .266 (+8%) | .321 (+4%) | .343 (+1%) | .665 (+2%) | 169.4 |
| 1903 | CHN | NL | 132 | 491 | 67 | 146 | 29 | 13 | 3 | 68 | 23 | 22 | 38 | .297 | .261 (+14%) | .316 (+4%) | .345 (+24%) | .662 (+14%) | 1102.7 |
| 1904 | CHN | NL | 123 | 452 | 41 | 110 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 7 | 16 | 26 | .243 | .246 (-1%) | .300 (-10%) | .321 (-8%) | .622 (-9%) | -605.5 |
| 1905 | CHN | NL | 111 | 380 | 26 | 83 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 52 | 13 | 28 | 23 | .218 | .248 (-12%) | .307 (-11%) | .322 (-14%) | .629 (-13%) | -693.6 |
| 1906 | CHN | NL | 107 | 343 | 45 | 107 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 46 | 14 | 23 | 30 | .312 | .247 (+26%) | .307 (+16%) | .315 (+33%) | .622 (+25%) | 1351.2 |
| 1907 | CHN | NL | 104 | 334 | 44 | 95 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 43 | 9 | 27 | 16 | .284 | .245 (+16%) | .304 (+12%) | .308 (+25%) | .613 (+19%) | 987.9 |
| 1908 | CHN | NL | 126 | 424 | 51 | 117 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 59 | 16 | 21 | 33 | .276 | .240 (+15%) | .298 (+5%) | .306 (+25%) | .605 (+15%) | 953.9 |
| 1910 | CHN | NL | 91 | 297 | 31 | 80 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 3 | 37 | 27 | .269 | .249 (+8%) | .317 (+11%) | .326 (+10%) | .644 (+11%) | 629.6 |
| 1911 | CHN | NL | 27 | 80 | 8 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 14 | .175 | .266 (-34%) | .336 (-26%) | .356 (-16%) | .693 (-21%) | -279.4 |
| 1911 | BSN | NL | 75 | 241 | 32 | 54 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 0 | 30 | 29 | .224 | .266 (-16%) | .336 (-8%) | .356 (-19%) | .693 (-13%) | -279.4 |
| 1912 | BSN | NL | 81 | 252 | 26 | 80 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 3 | 15 | 30 | .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 | .273 | .259 (+5%) | .325 (-2%) | .345 (+5%) | .670 (+2%) | -0.6 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,261 | 4,246 | 475 | 1,154 | 181 | 61 | 20 | 515 | 124 | 281 | 327 | .272 | — | — | — | — | 3,326 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1265 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 631 | 2061 | 235 | 564 | 10 | 213 | .274 |
| Away | 634 | 2187 | 240 | 591 | 10 | 262 | .270 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913-09-21 | CIN | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913-09-21 | CIN | NY1 | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-19 | CIN | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-19 | CIN | BRO | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-18 | CIN | BRO | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-16 | CIN | PHI | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1913-09-14 | CIN | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-13 | CIN | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913-09-13 | CIN | BSN | W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-11 | CIN | BSN | W | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
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 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1170 |
| First Base | 12 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 10 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 14 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1909 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C1 |
| 1908 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 27th | 1.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Kling (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Kling: the record in brief
September 11, 1900 and September 21, 1913 bracket Johnny Kling's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago Orphans (1900 to 1902), the Chicago Cubs (1903 to 1911), the Boston Rustlers (1911), the Boston Braves (1912), and the Cincinnati Reds (1913). At 5 feet, 9 inches and 160 pounds, Kling is listed as a catcher. Kling both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 13, 1875, in Kansas City, MO, USA. Kling died on January 31, 1947, in Kansas City, MO, USA. The bio lists the given name John.
The batting record for Kling: 1,261 games, 1,154 hits in 4,246 at bats, and a .272 average, adding 20 home runs, 515 RBI, and 124 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .319 and the slugging percentage .357, for an OPS of .676. The league as a whole hit .257 across Kling's seasons, which puts the .272 career mark 5.8% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Kling
- What years did Johnny Kling play?
- Johnny Kling played in Major League Baseball from 1900 to 1913.
- Was Johnny Kling a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Kling was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Johnny Kling hit?
- Johnny Kling hit 20 career home runs with 1,154 hits.
- What teams did Johnny Kling play for?
- Johnny Kling played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1900–1908, 1910–1911), the Boston Braves (1911–1912), and the Cincinnati Reds (1913).
- What were Johnny Kling's career stats?
- In 1,261 games, Johnny Kling had 1,154 hits, 20 home runs, 515 RBI, 475 runs, and 124 stolen bases, with a .272 batting average.
- What position did Johnny Kling play?
- Johnny Kling played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Johnny Kling and how much did he weigh?
- Johnny Kling was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Johnny Kling hit each season?
- Johnny Kling's home runs by season: 0 in 1900, 0 in 1901, 0 in 1902, 3 in 1903, 2 in 1904, 1 in 1905, 2 in 1906, 1 in 1907, 4 in 1908, 2 in 1910, 3 in 1911, 2 in 1912, and 0 in 1913. His most in one season was 4, in 1908.
- What was Johnny Kling's career batting average?
- Johnny Kling batted .272 over his career, with 1,154 hits in 4,246 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Kling have?
- Johnny Kling drove in 515 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Kling in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Kling has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.