Miguel Cabrera Wins Triple Crown – First Since 1967

Posted by Don Miller on Oct 3rd, 2012

Cabrera finished 2012 with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBI

Miguel Cabrera became the first player to win a Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Cabrera’s Triple Crown is one of just 12 in modern major league history. Cabrera went 0 for 2 against the Kansas City Royals. he left the game in the fourth inning to a standing ovation.

Cabrera finished 2012 with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBI. Yastrzemski, the last Triple Crown winner, hit .326 with 44 homers and 121 RBI.

Through no fault of his own Cabrera has been the subject of widespread debate on whether he or Los Angeles Angels rookie Mike Trout should be voted the American League MVP. Trout finished the 2012 season with a .326 batting average, second to Cabrera. Statistics used to measure performance by modern-day players it’s somewhat different than in the past, however, winning a Triple Crown is still a significant achievement.

”The entire baseball world should be here right now,” said Tigers ace Justin Verlander, the reigning AL MVP.

Cabrera has struggled in the past with off the field incidents including a drunken-driving incident in spring training last year, but by all accounts has been a model player ever since. This year, he’s the Tigers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player ”who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement.”