Daniel Victor Klassen (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional baseball infielder. He played four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks and one season with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Early life
Klassen was born to a Mennonite family in Leamington, Ontario and later attended high school at John Carroll Catholic High School in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers 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, 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, also a Rookie–level team. In 18 games with Helena, Klassen hit .200 and drove in three runs.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona assigned Klassen to the AAA Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League. 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. He made 29 appearances with the Diamondbacks in 1998, batting .194, with three home runs and 8 RBI. as he hit a two–run shot off Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Danny Graves.
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.