Highlighted Year: Johnny Kling, 1902

Catcher, Chicago Cubs

Age:  26

2^nd season with Orphans/Cubs

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’9”    Weight: 160 

Prior to 1902:

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Kling was the son of a baker. From an early age he was assigned to deliver bread to his father’s customers using a horse-drawn wagon. He would tend to run late as he stopped to play informal baseball games in a corner lot along his route. By 1890, at age 14, he was pitching for a local amateur league team and moved up to the semipro Kansas City Schmelzers where the teenager pitched, played first base, and managed. A tryout with St. Louis in 1895 failed to land a contract offer due to Kling’s lack of size. He spent 1896 with the Houston Buffaloes of the Texas Association and in 1897 he spent time with Rockford of the Western Association who soon let him go as being too small. He returned to the Schmelzers, where he was converted into a catcher. An 1899 barnstorming trip with Kansas City of the Western League provided Kling with the opportunity to play for the St. Joseph Saints in 1900, also of the Western League. By season’s end he was playing for the Cubs (then called the Orphans). Splitting time at catcher with Mike Kahoe and Frank Chance in 1901, Kling appeared in 74 games and batted .273 with a .301 on-base percentage. With Chance’s becoming the starting first baseman in 1902, Kling took over the regular duties behind the plate.  

1902 Season Summary

Appeared in 115 games

C – 113, SS – 1, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 477

At Bats – 436

Runs – 50

Hits – 126

Doubles – 19 [15, tied with Homer Smoot, Joe Tinker & George Smith]

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 0

RBI – 59 [11]

Bases on Balls – 29

Int. BB – N/A

Strikeouts – 26

Stolen Bases – 25 [14, tied with Tommy Leach]

Caught Stealing – N/A

Average - .289 [16]

OBP - .333

Slugging Pct. - .346

Total Bases – 151

GDP – N/A

Hit by Pitches – 0

Sac Hits – 12 [20, tied with four others]

Sac Flies – N/A

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 5, HR - 0, RBI - 24, SB – 11, AVG - .253, OBP - .302

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 5 AB) vs. Bos. Beaneaters 8/25 – 12 innings

Longest hitting streak – 10 games

Most HR, game – 0

HR at home – 0

HR on road – 0

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 vs. NY Giants 5/9

Pinch-hitting – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 654

Put Outs – 477

Assists – 160

Errors – 17

Passed Balls – 18

DP – 17

Pct. – .974 

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The Cubs went 68-69 to finish fifth in the NL, 34 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates while leading the league in stolen bases (229) and batting strikeouts (566). The Cubs started well and were in second place with a 23-12 record by the end of May following a split of a doubleheader with the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The club dropped off the pace in the summer. A six-game August win streak was followed by an eight-game losing streak which knocked them down to fourth, and they were unable to finish in the first division while Pittsburgh ran away from the pack. 

Aftermath of 1902:

Having established himself as an outstanding defensive catcher who was adept at handling pitchers, Kling continued to develop as an offensive contributor in 1903, a rarity for a catcher in that era, as he hit .297 with 29 doubles, 13 triples, 3 home runs, 68 RBIs, 23 stolen bases, a .330 OBP, and a .428 slugging percentage. Chattering constantly throughout games, he earned the nickname “Noisy”. He also did not drink and abstained from smoking and chewing tobacco. As the Cubs continued to develop into a winning club during 1904 and ’05, Kling remained a key contributor. 1906 was a pennant-winning season for the Cubs, who won 116 games in achieving NL dominance, and Kling did his part by batting .312 with 15 doubles, 8 triples, 2 home runs, 46 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, a .357 OBP, and a .420 slugging percentage in addition to excellent defense and leadership skills. The club lost the World Series to the crosstown White Sox but returned to the top of the NL in 1907. Kling hit .284 with 15 doubles, 8 triples, a home run, 43 RBIs, a .342 OBP, and a .386 slugging percentage. His .987 fielding percentage topped the league’s catchers. This time the Cubs won the World Series although Kling’s offensive contribution was limited to four hits, two runs, and an RBI. The Cubs won a third straight pennant, and repeated as World Series champs, in 1908. Kling batted .276 with 23 doubles, 5 triples, 4 home runs, 59 RBIs, a .315 OBP, and a .382 slugging percentage. He also was among the top defensive backstops. He hit .250 in the World Series triumph over Detroit. In the offseason he won the world pocket billiards championship and invested heavily in a billiards emporium in Kansas City. He requested a leave-of-absence from the Cubs while he sought to establish his new business and missed the 1909 season. Considered to be holding out, he was fined for being in violation of his contract when he sought to return in 1910. He proved to be rusty from his layoff and showed a decline in his catching skills although he batted .269 with a .354 OBP. The club returned to the top of the National League but lost the World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics. During the 1911 season he was traded to the Boston Braves and hit .212 for the year with a .295 OBP. He was player/manager of the Braves in 1912 and his eldest daughter became the team mascot, which proved to be of no help to the last-place club. Kling played in 81 games and batted .317 with a .356 OBP and .405 slugging percentage. Replaced as manager by George Stallings (who would yield better results), Kling was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds and finished his playing career in 1913. For his major league career, Kling batted .272 with 1154 hits that included 181 doubles, 61 triples, and 20 home runs. He scored 475 runs and compiled 514 RBIs, 124 stolen bases, a .319 OBP, and a .357 slugging percentage. With the Cubs he batted .272 with 397 runs scored, 963 hits, 156 doubles, 51 triples, 16 home runs, 438 RBIs, 119 stolen bases, a .317 OBP, and a .358 slugging percentage. Appearing in 21 World Series games, he hit .185 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs. Well after his playing career, Kling bought the minor league Kansas City Blues and eliminated segregated seating at Muehlebach Field, the team’s ballpark. A private man who may have been Jewish (souces differ, although his wife later indicated that he had become a Lutheran), he was successful as a baseball player and businessman. He died in 1947 at age 71. His brother Bill had a brief major league pitching career.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20), pitching wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10), or have been participants in the annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category will also include Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.