Chuck Klein, baseball player, 300 home runs, 1928-1944

Chuck Klein

⭐ Hall of Fame 1980

Born: 10/7/1904 in Indianapolis, IN, USA

Died: 3/28/1958 in Indianapolis, IN, USA

MLB Debut: 1928-07-30 | Final Game: 1944-06-11

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Charles Herbert Klein

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Biography

Chuck Klein, born in 1904, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1928 to 1944. Known for his powerful hitting and exceptional batting average, Klein played a total of 1,753 games, amassing 2,076 hits, 300 home runs, and 1,201 RBIs, with a remarkable batting average of .320. His prowess at the plate was complemented by his speed on the bases, as he successfully stole 79 bases during his career. Klein's ability to consistently deliver in clutch situations contributed to his reputation as one of the era's top hitters. Throughout his career, Klein was recognized for his outstanding performance, earning two All-Star selections and winning the TSN Guide MVP award on two occasions. His contributions to the game were immortalized when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980. Klein played during a transformative period in baseball history, navigating through the late 1920s and 1930s, a time when the game was evolving with the introduction of more offensive strategies. His legacy endures as a testament to the talent and tenacity of players from his era.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1753 6486 1168 2076 398 74 300 1201 79 601 521 0.320 0.379 0.543 0.922 32290.7

Career AVG .320 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — +16.9% above league average.

Career OBP .379 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +11.8% above league average.

Career SLG .543 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +39.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.922 vs. league average 0.727 across their career seasons — +26.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1928 PHI NL 64 253 41 91 14 4 11 34 0 14 22 0.360 .280 (+28%) .342 (+15%) .395 (+46%) .737 (+32%) 1384.3
1929 PHI NL 149 616 126 219 45 6 43 145 5 54 61 0.356 .289 (+23%) .353 (+15%) .415 (+58%) .769 (+38%) 4922.5
1930 PHI NL 156 648 158 250 59 8 40 170 4 54 50 0.386 .293 (+31%) .354 (+23%) .429 (+60%) .784 (+43%) 6079.6
1931 PHI NL 148 594 121 200 34 10 31 121 7 59 49 0.337 .276 (+22%) .338 (+18%) .388 (+50%) .726 (+35%) 4179.3
1932 PHI NL 154 650 152 226 50 15 38 137 20 60 49 0.348 .275 (+26%) .335 (+20%) .391 (+65%) .726 (+44%) 5724.4
1933 PHI NL 152 606 101 223 44 7 28 120 15 56 36 0.368 .270 (+36%) .329 (+28%) .377 (+60%) .707 (+45%) 5408.8
1934 CHC NL 115 435 78 131 27 2 20 80 3 47 38 0.301 .278 (+8%) .340 (+9%) .392 (+30%) .733 (+20%) 1729.3
1935 CHC NL 119 434 71 127 14 4 21 73 4 41 42 0.293 .279 (+5%) .342 (+4%) .399 (+22%) .742 (+14%) 1150.6
1936 CHC NL 29 109 19 32 5 0 5 18 0 16 14 0.294 .283 (+3%) .349 (+10%) .404 (+18%) .753 (+14%) 297.1
1936 PHI NL 117 492 83 152 30 7 20 86 6 33 45 0.309 .283 (+9%) .349 (+1%) .404 (+29%) .753 (+16%) 297.1
1937 PHI NL 115 406 74 132 20 2 15 57 3 39 21 0.325 .276 (+18%) .342 (+13%) .398 (+24%) .740 (+19%) 1547.3
1938 PHI NL 129 458 53 113 22 2 8 61 7 38 30 0.247 .272 (-10%) .341 (-11%) .392 (-9%) .734 (-10%) -988.6
1939 PHI NL 25 47 8 9 2 1 1 9 1 10 4 0.191 — — — — -53.5
1939 PIT NL 85 270 37 81 16 4 11 47 1 26 17 0.300 .274 (+9%) .342 (+6%) .393 (+30%) .735 (+19%) -53.5
1940 PHI NL 116 354 39 77 16 2 7 37 2 44 30 0.218 .267 (-19%) .335 (-9%) .387 (-14%) .722 (-12%) -800.6
1941 PHI NL 50 73 6 9 0 0 1 3 0 10 6 0.123 .262 (-53%) .332 (-31%) .373 (-56%) .705 (-44%) -541.9
1942 PHI NL 14 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.071 — — — — 0.0
1943 PHI NL 12 20 0 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 3 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1944 PHI NL 4 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 12 2 4 0 0 1 2 0 2 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1935 WS CHN 5 12 2 4 0 0 1 2 0 2 0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 1600 0 3250 194 135 39

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 PHI OF 63 0 128 7 3 0
1929 PHI OF 149 0 321 18 12 3
1930 PHI OF 156 0 362 44 17 10
1931 PHI OF 148 0 292 13 9 0
1932 PHI OF 154 0 331 29 15 3
1933 PHI OF 152 0 339 21 5 5
1934 CHN OF 110 0 222 6 9 2
1935 CHN OF 111 0 215 11 10 7
1936 CHN OF 29 0 63 3 6 0
1936 PHI OF 117 0 213 13 17 2
1937 PHI OF 102 0 175 11 10 3
1938 PHI OF 119 0 229 8 10 1
1939 PHI 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1939 PHI OF 11 0 20 1 0 1
1939 PIT OF 66 0 133 4 7 0
1940 PHI OF 96 0 180 4 3 2
1941 PHI OF 14 0 22 1 1 0
1943 PHI OF 2 0 0 0 1 0
1944 PHI OF 1 0 5 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1
Left Field 258
Center Field 46
Right Field 1307

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1933 Triple Crown
1933 TSN All-Star OF
1932 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1932 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1932 Most Valuable Player
1932 TSN All-Star OF
1932 TSN Guide MVP
1931 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1931 TSN Guide MVP

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 48.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 78.0 80 6
1931 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 55.0 80 0
1929 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 15.0 80 0