Age: 27
5th season
with Phillies
Bats – Left,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’0” Weight: 185
Prior to 1932:
A native of
Indianapolis, Indiana, Klein was notable at Southport High School for his pitching
and power hitting. Working at a steel mill following high school, he played
semipro baseball where he was an outfielder for the next three years. In 1927
he was signed by Evansville of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa (or Three I)
League. 15 games into the season he broke his ankle and was sidelined for the
remainder of the year. At the time he was batting .327 with six extra base
hits. His contract was sold to the Fort Wayne Chiefs of the Class B Central
League for $200 in 1928 and in 88 games Klein hit .331 with 26 home runs. He
was signed by the Phillies in July, who purchased his contract for $7500. Over
the course of 64 games the powerfully built young slugger hit .360 with 11 home
runs and 34 RBIs for a team that lost 109 games and finished at the bottom of
the NL standings. He quickly learned to take advantage of the Baker Bowl’s right
field wall that stood just 281 feet from home plate and was topped by a screen
that raised its overall height to 60 feet (balls hit off the wall remained in
play). Overcoming a slow start in 1929, Klein topped the league with 43 home
runs to go along with 126 runs scored and 145 RBIs. He tied for eleventh in NL
MVP voting while the Phillies rose to fifth place. The team returned to the
cellar in 1930 (despite a .315 team batting average) although Klein topped the
circuit with 158 runs scored,59 doubles, and 445 total bases. He also clubbed
40 home runs (26 at home) and compiled 170 RBIs. In 1931 he topped the NL with
121 runs scored, 31 home runs, 121 RBIs, and a .584 slugging percentage. He
placed second in NL MVP balloting and the Phillies rose to sixth. By 1932 Klein
was one of the most productive hitters in the National League.
1932 Season Summary
Appeared in 154
games
RF – 154
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 711 [3]
At Bats – 650
[3]
Runs – 152 [1]
Hits – 226 [1]
Doubles – 50 [2]
Triples – 15
[3]
Home Runs – 38
[1, tied with Mel Ott]
RBI – 137 [2]
Bases on Balls
– 60 [5, tied with Babe Herman]
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 49
[12]
Stolen Bases – 20
[1]
Caught Stealing
– N/A
Average - .348
[3]
OBP - .404 [4]
Slugging Pct. -
.646 [1]
Total Bases – 420
[1]
GDP – N/A
Hit by Pitches
– 1
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading runs
scored were +28 ahead of runner-up Bill Terry
League-leading hits
were +1 ahead of runner-up Bill Terry
League-leading stolen
bases were +1 ahead of runner-up Tony Piet
League-leading slugging
pct. was +.045 ahead of runner-up Mel Ott
League-leading
total bases were +47 ahead of runner-up Bill Terry
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 25, RBI – 85, AVG - .359, SLG PCT - .722
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Brooklyn 4/29, (in 5 AB) vs. NY Giants 6/24, (in 4 AB) vs.
Boston Braves 7/4
Longest hitting
streak – 20 games
HR at home – 29
HR on road – 9
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 5 AB) vs. Brooklyn 6/30, (in 4 AB) at Pittsburgh 7/20, (in 4 AB)
vs. Boston Braves 8/12
Multi-HR games
– 3
Most RBIs, game
– 6 vs. Brooklyn 4/29
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding
Chances – 375
Put Outs – 331
Assists – 29
Errors – 15
DP – 3
Pct. - .960
Awards & Honors:
NL MVP: BBWAA
Top 5 in NL MVP
Voting:
Chuck Klein,
Phila.: 78 pts. - 98% share
Lon Warneke,
ChiC.: 68 pts. – 85% share
Lefty O’Doul,
Brook.: 58 pts. – 73% share
Paul Waner,
Pitt.: 37 pts. – 46% share
Riggs
Stephenson, ChiC.: 32 pts. – 40% share
Phillies went 78-76
to finish fourth in the NL, 12 games behind the
pennant-winning Chicago Cubs, while leading the league in runs scored (844),
hits (1608), doubles (330), home runs (122), RBIs (780), walks drawn (446),
batting (.292), on-base percentage (.348), slugging (.442) & total bases
(2438). It was the team’s best finish between 1917 and 1949.
Aftermath of ‘32:
Klein followed
up in 1932 by winning the NL Triple Crown with 28 home runs, 120 RBIs, and a
.368 batting average. The Phillies dropped back to seventh place and he placed
second in league MVP voting. He also started in right field for the National
League in the first All-Star Game. With the team in serious financial trouble,
he was dealt in the offseason to the Chicago Cubs for $65,000 and three
players. Hindered by a leg injury in 1934, Klein dropped to 20 home runs, 80
RBIs, and a .301 average, although he was once again an All-Star. Still
bothered by the injured leg, he got off to a slow start in 1935, but his bat
and the Cubs turned hot along with the weather and he ended up hitting .293
with 21 home runs and 73 RBIs. In the World Series loss to Detroit he batted
.333 with a home run and two RBIs. 29 games into the 1936 season, Klein was
traded back to the Phillies and hit a combined .306 with 25 home runs and 104
RBIs, which included a four-home run game for the Phillies at Pittsburgh. Injuries
limited Klein to 115 games in 1937 and he ended up with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs,
and a .325 average. During the 1938 season the Phillies moved to the more
spacious Shibe Park and Klein’s numbers dropped to 8 home runs, 61 RBIs, and a
.247 average. Struggling in 1939, Klein was released in June and signed with
Pittsburgh. His bat initially came alive for the Pirates but he cooled off and
ended up hitting .284 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs. Released prior to the 1940
season he returned to the Phillies and appeared to be washed up at 35 as he
batted .218 with just 7 home runs. Klein remained with the Phillies until 1944
when he retired as a player and coached for the club for another year. For his
major league career he batted .320 with 2076 hits that included 398 doubles, 74
triples, and 300 home runs. He further accumulated 1201 RBIs and scored 1168
runs. With the Phillies he produced 1705 hits, 963 runs, 336 doubles, 64
triples, and 243 home runs with a .326 average and 983 RBIs. In the field he accounted
for 194 assists, with a high of 44 in 1930. A two-time All-Star, Klein finished
in the top five in National League MVP voting three times. He was eventually
inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, 22 years after his death at
age 53. He has also been honored with a plaque on the Phillies Wall of Fame.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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