5. Chuck Klein, 1932
Ever since his final seasons in the early 1940s, right fielder Chuck Klein was considered one of the best Phillies players in franchise history for decades, before the days of Carlton, Schmidt and others.
Klein came close to MVP honors in 1929 (11th place) and 1931 (second place), until he finally won the prestigious recognition in 1932. That year, he led the National League in games (154), home runs (38), stolen bases (20), slugging percentage (.646), OPS (1.050), and total bases (420). More impressively, the Indianapolis native led all of Major League Baseball in runs scored (152) and hits (226), helping him to a .348 batting average.
If you are looking up Phillies franchise batting rankings, chances are you will find Klein at the top of almost every list. He came close to repeating as MVP in 1933, finishing in second despite improving his batting average by 20 points (.368).
6. Mike Schmidt, 1981
After a deep postseason run, it is not easy to come back the following year and put up back-to-back MVP-worthy numbers. Nonetheless, Mike Schmidt did just that in 1981. That season, he led the National League in runs scored (78) and walks (73), and all of Major League Baseball in the following categories: home runs (31), RBI (91), on-base percentage (.435), slugging percentage (.644), OPS (1.080), total bases (228), and intentional walks (18).
The defending-champion Phillies went on to lose in the NLDS to the Montreal Expos. The 2009 Phillies had the chance to become the first back-to-back champions in franchise history, but fell short in that year’s Fall Classic to the Joe Girardi-led New York Yankees.
7. Jim Konstanty, 1950
A native of New York, Jim Konstanty impressively is the only relief pitcher in National League history to win an MVP award. Rollie Fingers (1981), Willie Hernandez (1984), and Dennis Eckersley (1992) are the only three American League relievers ever named MVP.
Konstanty appeared in an MLB-most 74 games in 1950 and recorded a league-best 62 finished games and 22 saves. The right-hander went 16-7 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.039 WHIP ratio. He struck out only six more batters (56) than those he walked (50), but his WHIP ratio was still kept at a minimum thanks to only allowing 108 hits in 152 innings.
8. Mike Schmidt, 1986
The notable 1970s and 1980s Phillies teams were largely led by two future Hall of
Famers — Steve Carlton, the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, and Schmidt. The third baseman’s 1986 MVP honor was the third and final of his career, joining the 1980 and 1981 seasons.
In 1986, Schmidt led the National League in home runs (37) and RBI (119), as well as slugging percentage (.547), OPS (.937), and intentional walks (25).