© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Phillies Legends: Chuck Klein
The 1930s were littered with some of baseball’s most legendary players. Surely you’ve heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx. You might even know Lefty Grove, Dizzy Dean, or Charlie Gehringer. Well, Phillies legendary right fielder, Chuck Klein, deserves a spot not only on that list, but at the top of it.
Born on October 7, 1904 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Klein grew up to be a natural when it came to baseball. He stood at 6 feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. His power, speed, and arm strength were a novelty for the 1930s.
Klein started his career with the Phillies mid-way through the 1928 season and became an instant success. In just 64 games in the majors, Klein was batting .360 and the organization had their eyes set on a bright future for their young star.
In his first full MLB season, Klein picked up right where he left off. After multiple hitting streaks of over 20 games to start the year, local newspapers referred to Klein as the “Babe Ruth of the National League,” and they were right.
Klein’s five year stretch between 1929 and 1933 would go down in history as one of the best five years a player has ever had. In that time, he slashed .359/.414/.636 with a 1.050 OPS. He also tallied 180 home runs, 46 triples, and 1,118 hits. His numbers seemed immortal at the time.
Let’s take a look at some of Klein’s greatest achievements:
- National Baseball Hall of Fame (1980)
- National League MVP (1932)
- Set National League record 43 single season home runs (1929)
- Barry Bonds now holds the record with 73 (2001)
- 250 hits in a single season - Tied for sixth all time (1930)
- 445 total bases in a single season - Fourth all time (1930)
- 170 RBI in a single season - seventh all time (1930)
- 44 outfield assists in a single season - modern day MLB record (1930)
- Triple Crown Winner (1933)
- Four home runs in a game (1936)
Klein’s 1930 season is one of the greatest single seasons in the history of Major League Baseball, but he has nothing to show for it because no MVP Award was given out due to financial strains in the league.
The 1931 MVP Award is considered the first in the modern era, and Klein’s season was solid enough for second place in NL MVP voting. He had the numbers to win the award, but the Phillies finished a full 35 games behind the Cardinals in the regular season, and therefore, St. Louis infielder Frankie Frisch won the award.
1932 was another incredible year for Klein and he became the first and still only player in the post-1920 era to end the season with the most home runs (38) and most stolen bases (20). It was another season in which he led the National League in outfield assists, and because of his stellar performance, won his first and only National League MVP Award.
He kept up his league dominance in 1933, but despite winning the triple crown, fell just short once again of the MVP coming in second place to Giants ace, Carl Hubbell.
Unfortunately for the Phillies organization, the Great Depression hit the city and the team very hard. By the end of the 1933 season, the team was broke and desperate for money. The Phillies were a non-competitive team at the time, and their owner Gerald Nugent decided to trade their top player in Klein to the Chicago Cubs. In return, the Phillies got two position players, a pitcher, and $65,000.
After a three year stay with the Cubs that was plagued with injuries and poor performances, Klein returned to Philadelphia in 1936 to play for his beloved Phillies.
In ‘36 and ‘37, there was a clear drop off between his early 30s days and his new stint with the team, but he was able to break the .300 batting average barrier in both those seasons. A very down year in 1938 and the beginning of 1939 would force the Phillies to cut him from the team.
The Pirates would eventually sign him for the remainder of the ‘39 season, where he started to turn things around yet again. In 85 games with Pittsburgh, Klein hit an even .300 and showed the occasional flash of his power with 11 bombs.
It was enough for the Phillies to sign him back to the team in the 1940 season for the final time. 1940 was Klein’s last season as a full time starter in the league, but he remained with the team for four more seasons playing in just 80 total games in that span.
After all was said and done, Klein ended his career batting .320/.379/.543 with a .922 OPS. The longevity of his dominance may not have been as grand as the likes of Babe Ruth, but his early years were some of the most impressive seasons the game has ever seen. Klein was somehow overlooked with Hall of Fame honors, but in 1980, the Veterans Committee corrected that wrong and inducted him into the National Baseball Hall of Fame where he will remain enshrined forever.
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