Phillies History: Taking a Look Back on Phillies MVP Winners
By John Town
1932 MVP Award Winner Chuck Klein
When Chuck Klein joined the Phillies in 1928, they were in the middle of one of the worst stretches in their history. In 1932, Klein helped propel the club to their first season above .500 in 15 years thanks to his slugging ability. That season, the Phillies finished 78-76 and fourth in the National League, still well out of playoff contention in the era of just one playoff team from each league.
Klein hit 30+ home runs in four straight seasons from 1929 to 1932. In his 1932 campaign, Klein hit 38 long balls, leading the National League. Klein led all NL hitters with 226 hits, 20 stolen bases, a .646 slugging percentage, and 1.050 OPS.
Klein came second in NL MVP voting in 1931 when he hit 31 home runs, but he took home the award in 1932. Klein appea8red on 98% of the ballots, receiving 78 points in the voting.
After his MVP campaign in 1932, Klein upped the ante by becoming the only Phillie to ever win the Triple Crown. He led all MLB hitters with his .368 batting average to go along with his NL-leading 28 home runs and 120 RBI. Despite winning the Triple Crown, Klein lost the MVP award to pitcher Carl Hubbell of the then-New York Giants. Hubbell had a 1.66 ERA and 0.982 WHIP over 308.2 innings that season, so there was more than ample reason for Hubbell to receive the award.
So why does no one remember MVP and Triple Crown winner Chuck Klein? For starters, he played on a paltry Phillies team that finished above .500 just once in his time there. Klein also had to compete with the ultimate slugger in Babe Ruth, who captured every headline of the day and beat out Klein in most offensive categories. Had Klein not had to comepete with these two factors, the Hall of Famer would be far more well-known among baseball fans.