Dirk Kleinmann (‘04) was the second King baseball player to be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, being selected in the 42nd round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002. Kleinmann had a stellar career donning the scarlet and navy and may have been the best two-way player to play at King. At the end of his career he ranked third in school history with 122 runs batted and 96 runs scored while ranking second in school history with 16 wins and 273 strikeouts. When he was not on the mound for the Tornado, he was the starting first baseman for head coach Craig Kleinmann’s squad.

Prior to the draft in 2002 he was selected All-AAC after leading the conference with 83 and one-thirds innings pitched, 98 strikeouts and a .221 opponent’s batting average. Kleinmann also posted an earned run average of 3.13 in 2002 and on the offensive end he hit .313 with 30 walks and 37 runs batted in. In his four-year career from 2000-04, Kleinmann hit .290, posting 164 hits, including 35 doubles, five triples and five home runs. He also recorded 119 walks.

On the mound Kleinmann may have been more impressive, registering 275 and one-thirds innings pitched with and earned run average of 4.38. While at King he majored in mathematics and physics while minoring in biology. Following graduation he went to physical therapy school and is now a physical therapist in Fort Myers, Fla.