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Daniel Victor Klassen (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional baseball
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
. He played four seasons with the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
and one season with the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB).


Early life

Klassen was born to a
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
family in
Leamington, Ontario Leamington ( ) is a municipality in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. With a population of 29,680 in the Canada 2021 Census, it forms the second largest urban centre in Windsor-Essex County after Windsor, Ontario. It includes Point Pelee Nationa ...
and later attended high school at John Carroll Catholic High School in
Fort Pierce, Florida Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Florida’s Atlantic Coast. It is also known as the Sunrise City. Per the 2020 census, the population w ...
. He was selected by the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
in the second round of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft.


Career


Milwaukee Brewers

In 1993, Klassen made his professional debut at the age of 17. He began with the Rookie–level
Arizona League Brewers The Arizona Complex League Brewers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Arizona Complex League (ACL) and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Phoenix, Arizona, and play their home games at American Family Fi ...
, appearing in 38 games and batting .222 with two home runs and 20 runs batted in. He stole 14 bases and was caught stealing three times. Klassen finished the 1993 season with the
Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...
, also a Rookie–level team. In 18 games with Helena, Klassen hit .200 and drove in three runs. Klassen spent the 1994 season with the Single-A
Beloit Brewers Beloit may refer to Places in the United States *Beloit, Alabama *Beloit, Georgia *Beloit, Iowa *Beloit, Kansas *Beloit, Ohio *Beloit, Wisconsin *Beloit (town), Wisconsin, adjacent to the city of Beloit *Beloit Township, Mitchell County, Kansas *So ...
of the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
. In 133 games, his average climbed to .260 and he totaled 6 homers, 54 RBI, and 28 stolen bases in 42 attempts. The following year, Klassen remained in Beloit and only appeared in 59 games. He batted .275 and tallied a pair of home runs, 25 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases. For the 1996 season, Klassen was promoted to the
Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...
of the
California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...
. He made 118 appearances and posted a .269 average. Klassen hit two homers, drove in 46 runs, and stole 14 bases in 22 attempts. Klassen joined the
El Paso Diablos "El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, wh ...
for the 1997 season. Playing in the AA–level
Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
, Klassen appeared in 133 games and his average rose to .331, which would prove to be a career–high. Klassen drove in 81 runs, also the most of his career, while hitting 14 home runs and stealing 16 bases. Klassen's best statistical season in the Brewers organization was also his last. On November 18, 1997, Klassen was selected by the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
in an
expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or sports franchising, franchises. This occurs mainly in Sports in North America, North American sports and closed leagues. O ...
.


Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona assigned Klassen to the AAA
Tucson Sidewinders Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson metropolitan s ...
of the
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. Over the course of the 1998 season, he posted a .292 average with Tucson, tallying 10 homers, 47 RBI, and only 6 stolen bases over the course of 73 games. On July 4, Klassen made his Major League debut. Facing the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
, Klassen made four plate appearances, striking out once and drawing three walks. He was caught attempting to steal second base in the fifth inning. He made 29 appearances with the Diamondbacks in 1998, batting .194, with three home runs and 8 RBI. Klassen's first Major League home run came on July 10, as he hit a two–run shot off
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
relief pitcher
Danny Graves Daniel Peter Graves (born August 7, 1973) is a Vietnamese-born American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Born to a Vietnamese mother and an American serviceman father, he is the only Vietnam-born p ...
. Klassen appeared in one game at the MLB level in 1999, again spending a majority of the season at Tucson. In 64 games with the Sidewinders, Klassen batted .269 with 6 homers, 33 RBI, and 5 steals. Klassen split the 2000 season between Tucson and Arizona. In the minors, he batted .320 with a pair of home runs in 28 games. With the Diamondbacks, Klassen made 29 appearances and batted .237 with two homers. In 2001, Klassen played in only seven games, all with the Sidewinders, and hit .222 (4 for 18). Klassen split the 2002 season between El Paso, Tucson, and Arizona, spending the majority of the year at Tucson. With AA El Paso, now a Diamondbacks affiliate, Klassen appeared in 18 games and batted .231, a percentage point higher than the .230 average he posted in 103 games with Tucson. He hit a pair of home runs with both minor league teams. Klassen saw action in only four games at the Major League level, batting .333 (1 for 3).


Detroit Tigers

On January 10, 2003, Klassen signed with the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. He split the 2003 season between the Tigers and their AAA affiliate, the
Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...
. Klassen saw action in 112 games with the Mud Hens, batting .246 and tallying 11 homers and 48 RBI. At the major league level, Klassen made 22 appearances. He batted .247, with one home run and 7 RBI. Klassen played in his last MLB game on September 25. Klassen spent the entirety of the 2004 season with Toledo. In 110 games, he batted .253, hitting 5 home runs and driving in 38 runs. After the season, Klassen became a free agent. On December 14, he signed with the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. He was then sent to the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
on April 1, 2005. Klassen was part of
Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...
in the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
, which finished in fourth place. He was named to play for Canada at the
2006 World Baseball Classic The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums in or around Tokyo, Japan, and the American cities o ...
. During the World Baseball Classic, he injured himself and took the 2006 season off. In 2008, he played for the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
organization and retired at the end of the season.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Klassen, Danny 1975 births Canadian expatriate baseball players in the United States Living people Sportspeople from Leamington, Ontario Baseball people from Ontario Olympic baseball players for Canada Baseball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Major League Baseball players from Canada Major League Baseball infielders Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Brewers players Arizona League Diamondbacks players Beloit Brewers players Beloit Snappers players Detroit Tigers players El Paso Diablos players Helena Brewers players Round Rock Express players Stockton Ports players Toledo Mud Hens players Tucson Sidewinders players Canadian Mennonites