| Bobby Kline | |
| Position: | Shortstop |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Birth Date: | 27 January 1929 |
| Birth Place: | St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Death Place: | St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | April 11 |
| Debutyear: | 1955 |
| Debutteam: | Washington Senators |
| Finalleague: | MLB |
| Finaldate: | September 25 |
| Finalyear: | 1955 |
| Finalteam: | Washington Senators |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Batting average |
| Stat1value: | .221 |
| Stat2label: | Home runs |
| Stat2value: | 0 |
| Stat3label: | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value: | 9 |
| Teams: | |
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 Washington Senators. Kline threw and batted right-handed and was listed as tall and .
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. 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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3]