Happy Birthday to the late and great Hall of Famer Chuck Klein. In a career that lasted 17 years, primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies but also for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates, Klein established himself as one of the better offensive Right Fielders of all time.
Career Statistics/Accolades (1928-1944):
.320 BA 2,076 HITS 300 HR 1,201 RBI .379 OBP 1,168 RUNS
- 2x All-Star
- 1932 MVP
- 1932 Batting Champion//Triple Crown
While defensively, Klein had issues in Right Field, his bat should be remembered. His five-year peak from 1929-33 is as good as almost any batter in baseball history. Highlighted Stats from Baseball-Reference.com
In 1930, I would say he had his best season; Hack Wilson had an even better season, driving in 191 runs. But in 1933, he didn’t just win the MVP and Triple Crown; he took home the unofficial Quadruple Crown, leading the league in Hits. Overall, he was a great all-around offensive player. Hitting-wise, he drove in 100 or more RBIs six times, five consecutive, five years consecutively, he recorded 200 or more Hits, leading twice, and four times, he led the league in Home Runs. As well as being known as a player who can steal you a base here and there, he scored 100 Runs seven times. After his MVP year in 1933, Klein had a hard time staying healthy consistently in all but in 1936. While you expect a Hall of Famer to have more than 5-6 years of representative, his five-year peak from 1929-33 was so good that he was good enough for the Hall of Fame.
It took until 1980, but Klein would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee. Long before his induction, the Phillies put him in their Hall of Fame and retired his jersey. In 1999, he was ranked #96 on The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Ballplayers.
References:
- Chuck Klein via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Klein#
- Chuck Klein via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kleinch01.shtml
MLB Past & Present 