Berger was one of the National League's top sluggers of the early 1930s. In his initial season he hit 38 home runs, a record for rookies which stood until . He also led the league in home runs and runs batted in in despite the Braves having the fourth-most losses in MLB history, and went on to become the seventh NL player to hit 200 career home runs. Berger was the National League's starting center fielder in baseball's first All-Star Game.