Winning the Triple Crown is a rare occurance in the Majors, with those players capable of doing so truly special talents. Understandably, they are not often traded. However, on this day in 1933, the Philadelphia Phillies traded star Chuck Klein, right after he won the Triple Crown.
It is a rare occurrence when a player wins the Triple Crown. Throughout Major League history, 18 players have accomplished this feat, making it one of the rarest in sports. Likewise, it is a rare occurrence when a player that wins the Triple Crown is traded, especially when it happens just after that player takes home the honors.
On this day in 1933, that very scenario happened with Philadelphia Phillies star Chuck Klein. He had captured the National League Triple Crown with a .360 batting average, 24 home runs and 120 RBI. Interestingly, Jimmie Foxx also won the Triple Crown that year, making it the only time that the feat was accomplished in both leagues in the same season.
That accomplishment did not matter to the Phillies. Coming off his excellent season, Klein was traded to the Chicago Cubs. In exchange, the Phillies received $125,000 in cash, along with Mark Keonig, Harvey Hendrick, and Ted Kleinhans.
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Although Klein’s numbers dropped in the move from the hitter friendly Baker Bowl to Wrigley Field, he was still a solid player. With Klein on the Cubs, they made the World Series in 1935, as his presence improved the lineup. The same level of success could not be said for the Phillies, however.
Keonig, who is best remembered for his time with the Yankees, never actually played for Philadelphia. A month later, he was traded to the Reds for Otto Bleuge and Irv Jeffries. Hendrick played 59 games in a utility role before being released later that year. Kleinhans, at age 35, was one of the oldest rookies in MLB history, but struggled with the Phillies before being traded to the Reds on May 16, 1934.
The Phillies made up for their mistake in 1936, reacquiring Klein from the Cubs in exchange for Ethan Allen and Curt Davis. While he was still a solid player at that point, he was not the same hitter he had been before the trade, when he finished in the top two of the MVP award for three consecutive years.
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On this day in 1933, the Philadelphia Phillies became the first team to trade a player who won the Triple Crown right after that season. Predictably, that trade did not work out as they had hoped.