Astros' Yordan Alvarez has a good chance to make some very rare MLB history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Astros have fought their way back into the postseason hunt and are now atop the AL West with a 1.5-game lead over the Texas Rangers.
A huge reason why is that Yordan Alvarez has been incredible for the Astros and might even be the current frontrunner for the AL MVP Award. ESPN ranked him as such, placing him at No. 3 on their MLB player rankings heading into August 13.
But while the Astros are trying to secure a playoff spot, Alvarez is trying to do something a whole lot rarer than win an MVP. He's searching for the Triple Crown, and as ESPN's David Schoenfield highlighted, he has a good chance to do so.
Yordan Alvarez has a good chance to get Triple Crown for 2nd time since 1967
"What he's done so far: Oh, you know, just chasing a Triple Crown, something only 10 players have accomplished a total of 12 times since 1920, with Miguel Cabrera in 2012 the only player to do it since 1967," Schoenfield writes.
To earn a Triple Crown, Alvarez would need to lead the American League (not all of MLB) in three main categories: Home runs, RBIs, and batting average.
Of the three main areas for Alvarez, he is most likely to win the AL batting title, sitting at a remarkable .322 batting average, .015 points better than Chandler Simpson at a .307 batting average. Yandy Diaz is next closest at a .302 average.
Alvarez also has the RBI lead, though this one might not be as easy to hold. He has 87 RBIs, second most in MLB and most in the AL. Dillon Dingler has 80 RBIs, which is still a fairly close race.
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But the real tough one for Alvarez will be the home run race. He has 35 home runs, tied with three other players in MLB, including the AL's Junior Caminero.
Alvarez is currently holding the Triple Crown lead, but he needs to create more separation with his RBI total, and he also needs to hit one more homer than Caminero the rest of the way to have a good chance at this incredibly rare feat.
His 1.057 OPS is the best in Major League Baseball, as Alvarez has been MLB's best hitter. It's not been particularly close offensively.
Securing the Triple Crown is very much in play for Alvarez, and if he does accomplish this incredibly rare feat, he'd be only the second player since 1967 to do so. It's possible for the Astros slugger and is something fans should keep a keen eye on this season.
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