Billy Klaus

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William Joseph Klaus (born December 9, 1928 in Fox Lake, Illinois; died December 3, 2006) was a shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball who played with the Boston & Milwaukee Braves (1952-53), Boston Red Sox (1955-58), Baltimore Orioles (1959-60), Washington Senators (1961) and Philadelphia Phillies (1962-63). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

A master defensively, Klaus had good range, a strong and secure arm, and an ability to throw across his body quickly. A modest hitter, his greatest offensive contribution came via the bunt and the hit-and-run, but his defense was good enough by itself to keep him in the majors a while.

In his 1955 rookie season with the Red Sox, Klaus had a career-high .283 batting average with seven home runs and 60 RBI (also a career-high), and finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Herb Score. A year later, he put almost identical numbers (.271, 7, 59), and in 1957 he belted a high-career 10 home runs.

In an 11-season career, Klaus was a .249 hitter with 40 home runs and 250 RBI in 821 games. He had 626 hits in 2513 at bats.