Originally drafted and signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wes Chamberlain came to Philadelphia along with Julio Peguero and that pesky player to be named later for Carmelo Martinez on Aug. 30, 1990. Chamberlain was immediately added to the active roster and struck out in his first big league appearance on Aug. 31.
Chamberlain had posted solid minor league numbers the year before, while playing for AA Harrisburg. He hit 21 home runs and knocked in 87 runs, hitting .306 with an .855 OPS. His first big league home run came on Sept. 19, 1990, when he connected off Cardinals starter Joe Magrane in the second inning of an 8-4 Phillies win in St. Louis.
Chamberlain finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1991 after he posted a .240 average with 13 HR and 50 RBI, which would end up being career highs. During the Phillies improbable 15-game winning streak that season, Chamberlain hit 3 homers and knocked in 13 runs, while batting .321. He hit 2 homers and knocked in 6 on July 31 and followed with another homer the next night.
He is probably best remembered as being part of the right field platoon with Jim Eisenreich on the Phillies 1993 National League Champion team. Eisenreich played against right-handed pitchers while Chamberlain took on the lefties. In 134 at-bats, Chamberlain mashed a remarkable .986 OPS and hit 9 of his 12 home runs. He had 3 doubles and a single against the Braves in the NLCS that year, and went hitless in 2 at-bats in the World Series.
Chamberlain was traded to the Red Sox in 1994 for pitcher Paul Quantrill and outfielder Billy Hatcher. In 1995, the Red Sox traded him to Kansas City for another former Phillies outfielder, Chris James. His last big league appearance was on June 7, 1995. Chamberlain played in Japan in 1996 and kicked around the minor and independent leagues until 2004.
According to his LinkedIn page, Chamberlain runs a baseball training company outside Chicago.
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