Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB players to win Triple Crown without being named MVP

By Bill Felber

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 09, 2021 in New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 6-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 09, 2021 in New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 6-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Phillies
Phillies star Chuck Klein (center). Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images. /

Chuck Klein, 1933

In 1933, MVP voters faced a choice between an exceptional batting season and an exceptional pitching season. In a time when there was no such thing as a Cy Young Award, they went with the pitcher.

Klein, an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, led the National League in home runs (28), RBIs (120) and batting average (.368). To flesh out the resume, he also led in base hits (223), doubles (44), on base average (.422), slugging (.62) and total bases (365).

But was that a better season than Carl Hubbell had in pitching the New York Giants to victory in the World Series? Enjoying perhaps the best season of his life, Hubbell led the league in victories (23), ERA (1.66), shutouts (10), and innings pitched (308.2).

Against Washington in the World Series, Hubbell won both of his starts as the Giants beat the Senators in five games. He allowed just three runs, none of them earned. Those games, of course, did not figure into the MVP voting.

Faced with that kind of heavyweight decision, voters went with the pennant winner…and it wasn’t particularly close. Hubbell accumulated 77 voting points, Klein finishing a distant second with just 48. The Giants pitching ace got a 96 percent vote share; Klein, whose Phillies finished seventh, got only a 60 percent vote share.

Home/MLB History