Can Yordan Alvarez get the first Triple Crown since 2012?
Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz talk about the Astros slugger's season and if he has a realistic chance at a triple crown. Check out the full conversation on the "Baseball Bar-B-Cast" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Yordan Alvarez, Triple Crown.
He currently leads the American League in home run, RBI, average.
First in all three categories.
Trying to become the first Triple Crown winner since 2012, and only the sixth Triple Crown winner since integration.
I mean, that is a remarkable stat.
This is a very difficult, very rare accomplishment.
Yordan, as we sit right now, has 36 bombs.
Junior Caminero is at 35, Ben Rice 34.
He has 91 RBI.
Pete has 89, Caminero 84.
In terms of batting average, he is first at .323, Chandler Simpson at .310, Yandy Diaz at .303.
No one else over .300.
The only players to complete this hitting Triple Crown since integration, Ted Williams in 1947, Mickey Mantle in 1956, Frank Robinson in 1966, Mike Yastrzemski Wow, that's so funny.
Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, and Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Mike Yastrzemski never won a Triple Crown.
But Yordan Alvarez might.
What was the Yeah, what was the closest that Mike Yastrzemski ever came?
'Cause a- again, like, he had a nice run with the Giants.
Like, he very con- He did have a nice run.
Nice run.
All right.
Yordan Alvarez.
This guy is something else.
We talked a lot about Yordan in, over the first couple months of the season because, I mean, I wrote a big feature on him really focusing on how unbelievable he is against left-handed pitching.
That has mostly held up, but not to the same degree.
Honestly, the, his numbers now are bolstered by the fact that he's crushing righties.
He has like a, f- like 1150 OPS against right-handers now.
But he's still very dangerous against left-handers, and part of the timeliness of this conversation is, is what he did last night.
Just a ridiculous swing against, straight up, one of the best lefty relievers in baseball, that's Brent Hedrick of the New York Yankees.
Ropes a triple, late in that game as the Astros get a much needed win on the road in the Bronx.
I think with Yordan, and the Triple Crown in general, 'cause like we're gonna have a Yordan conversation and then we're gonna have a Triple Crown conversation.
Because the Triple Crown part of this is, as batting average and RBI become a lot less cool, people will be like, "Ah, do we still care about this?"
Ultimately, the simplicity, the mainstream nature of this, and the rarity, I think still carries real heft
