Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez has had an incredible season and has an opportunity to win the Triple Crown, so let's check in and see where he stands at the moment.
The Houston Astros have been up and down season so far this season, which has included some tough performances from the mound and some inconsistency from the plate. Even with the inconsistent performance this season, the Astros have an overall record of 68-67 and currently have a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers for the top spot in the AL West.
While most of the roster has been inconsistent, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez has been quite the opposite and has an opportunity to notch his name in MLB history as he chases the Triple Crown.
To clarify what it takes to win the Triple Crown, a player must lead either the American League (AL) or the National League (NL) in batting average, RBIs, and home runs for the entire season.
In this case, Alvarez must lead the AL in those categories as he plays for the Astros. In terms of where Alvarez stands at this point, he is in a solid spot as he is leading the AL in all three categories. So, let's take a look at Alvarez's statistical performance this season.
So far this season, Alvarez has a batting average of .318 (No. 1 in the AL and T-No. 1 in the MLB), 91 RBIs (Tied-No. 1 in the AL and Tied-No. 5 in the MLB), and 36 home runs (No. 1 in the AL and Tied-No. 3 in the MLB).
When looking at Alavrez's stats, he is definitely in a good spot overall, but when it comes to RBIs and home runs, he is in a tight race to lead the AL in both, while he has a decisive lead in terms of batting average.
Starting with batting average, Alvarez has a .318, as previously mentioned, while Chandler Simpson of the Tampa Rays, who is the next-closest batter in the AL, has a .309 batting average for the season. As long as Alvarez is able to be solid from the plate, he should be able to hold his lead when it comes to batting average.
Now, taking a look RBIs, Alvarez has recorded 91 on the season which has him tied with Pete Alonso who plays for the Baltimore Orioles for the lead in the AL. Clearly this race is pretty tight between Alvarez and Alonso, so it will be interesting to see what happens down the stretch and if Alvarez can create the separation he needs or if this category will be decided at the end of the regular season.
Lastly, when it comes to home runs, Alvarez is in first in the AL with 36, but Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays is very close behind with 35 home runs on the season. With the race leading the AL in home runs being so tight, Alvarez must find a way to hit a few balls out of the park, otherwise this is another aspect that could very well come down to the final stretch of the regular season.
So, looking at Alvarez and his race for the Triple Crown overall, he has put himself in a good position thus far, but if he is not able to create separation when it comes to RBIs and home runs his ability to win the Triple Crown could be in question when the regular season comes to a close.
