When it comes to the greatest offensive players in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies franchise, RF Chuck Klein deserves to be in the discussion. Many players to choose from, as the team came into existence in 1890 (known as the Philadelphia Quakers from 1893-1889). Mike Schmidt, Richie Ashburn, Greg Luzinski, Del Ennis, Ed Delahanty and Ryan Howard are among the top offensive players when it comes to the most important all time organizational stats. Klein, who played in the majors from 1928-1944, mostly with the Phillies, had a five season stretch that is impossible to duplicate. To prove that point, I will highlight the five best seasons of Howard and Schmidt and compare them to Klein's first five. Schmidt, of course, finished his career with 548 HRs and Howard hit 45 or more HRs 4 of the 5 seasons.
Klein had a start to his career with 200 hit seasons that could be compared to a modern day Ichiro. He drove in a lot of runs, scored a lot of runs and had ridiculous OPS and total bases. Though the numbers are unbelievable, it has to be mentioned Klein had the benefit of playing his home games in the Baker Bowl. The Baker Bowl was considered the first of its kind as it was called a "Cigar Box" or "Band Box". It was a small ballpark where the hitters had a distinct advantage. Neither here nor there, but it was also considered one of the unsafest ballparks as the lack of maintenance led to two incidents where material fell from the stadium, one leading to 11 deaths. But before I bring up Klein's first five seasons, here are the top five seasons of both Schmidt and Howard, skipping Schmidt's MVP season of 1981 because of the abbreviated season (which obviously would skew the numbers against him had they been included).
Schmidt without a doubt is the greatest offensive player to ever put on a Phillies uniform. His 548 HRs and 96.5% of the Hall of Fame vote in his first year eligibility speak for itself. His best consecutive seasons range from 1979-1984. He won the NL MVP in 1980 and 1981, as well as 1986. Not including 1981 (for the reason I mentioned earlier), Schmidt hit 204 HRs from 1979-1984 and drove in 537 runs. He scored 518 runs and had 720 hits, with 114 2B and 22 3B. He compiled a total of 1491 total bases.
Howard had his run from 2006-2010. His 229 HRs were more than both Schmidt and Klein. His 680 RBI over that span was outstanding. He scored 495 runs, got 801 hits and had a modest 137 2Bs and 14 3Bs. While Schmidt's average OPS was higher, Howard had more total bases with 1653.
The 1920s and early 1930s were known as a new age with the live ball era. Klein, from 1929-1933, recorded 180 HRs in that span. He had 693 RBIs, 658 RS, 1118 hits, 232 2Bs, 46 3B and 1982 total bases. No doubt the five consecutive greatest seasons in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Klein had a start to his career with 200 hit seasons that could be compared to a modern day Ichiro. He drove in a lot of runs, scored a lot of runs and had ridiculous OPS and total bases. Though the numbers are unbelievable, it has to be mentioned Klein had the benefit of playing his home games in the Baker Bowl. The Baker Bowl was considered the first of its kind as it was called a "Cigar Box" or "Band Box". It was a small ballpark where the hitters had a distinct advantage. Neither here nor there, but it was also considered one of the unsafest ballparks as the lack of maintenance led to two incidents where material fell from the stadium, one leading to 11 deaths. But before I bring up Klein's first five seasons, here are the top five seasons of both Schmidt and Howard, skipping Schmidt's MVP season of 1981 because of the abbreviated season (which obviously would skew the numbers against him had they been included).
Schmidt without a doubt is the greatest offensive player to ever put on a Phillies uniform. His 548 HRs and 96.5% of the Hall of Fame vote in his first year eligibility speak for itself. His best consecutive seasons range from 1979-1984. He won the NL MVP in 1980 and 1981, as well as 1986. Not including 1981 (for the reason I mentioned earlier), Schmidt hit 204 HRs from 1979-1984 and drove in 537 runs. He scored 518 runs and had 720 hits, with 114 2B and 22 3B. He compiled a total of 1491 total bases.
Howard had his run from 2006-2010. His 229 HRs were more than both Schmidt and Klein. His 680 RBI over that span was outstanding. He scored 495 runs, got 801 hits and had a modest 137 2Bs and 14 3Bs. While Schmidt's average OPS was higher, Howard had more total bases with 1653.
The 1920s and early 1930s were known as a new age with the live ball era. Klein, from 1929-1933, recorded 180 HRs in that span. He had 693 RBIs, 658 RS, 1118 hits, 232 2Bs, 46 3B and 1982 total bases. No doubt the five consecutive greatest seasons in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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