Baseball Fan's Guide to MLB Batting Triple Crown Winners

Throughout the history of Major League Baseball, one feat that has proven especially difficult and elusive is winning the batting Triple Crown. A player wins the Triple Crown (an unofficial honor for which no actual award is given) by leading his league in the three major batting categories in the same season: batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Although more precise statistics have been developed to measure a player’s worth, leading the league in these three categories leaves no doubt about the player’s exceptional, well-rounded batting skills.

Since the beginning of the major leagues with the first National League season in 1876, only 13 players have won baseball’s batting Triple Crown. (Some sources have also included Hugh Duffy and Heinie Zimmerman as National League Triple Crown winners for their 1894 and 1912 seasons, respectively, but in both cases research has shown their reported RBI totals to be incorrect.) Two players, Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams, won the crown twice, resulting in a grand total of only 15 Triple Crown seasons out of more than 250 major league seasons played over 136 years.

Of course, it is even rarer to win the Triple Crown for all of Major League Baseball — to be the best in these three batting categories in both leagues. As the table shows, only five players have done it: Ty Cobb in 1909, Rogers Hornsby in 1925, Lou Gehrig in 1934, Ted Williams in 1942, and Mickey Mantle in 1956. (When Paul Hines won the Triple Crown in 1878, the National League was the only recognized major league.) 

The 13 Triple Crown winners all had solid careers, and their names appear in various lists of the best players in baseball history. Among them, they won multiple MVP awards and were selected to numerous All-Star teams. All 11 winners since 1900 were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here's a chronological guide to the members of this exclusive Triple Crown club:

In his 1878 Triple Crown season, Paul Hines of the Providence Grays also led the National League in home run percentage, slugging average, and total bases. He again led the league in batting in 1879, with a .357 average, and is ranked by Bill James as the best player in baseball in both years.

One of the two Triple Crown winners who are not in the Hall of Fame, Hines played in the major leagues for 16 years (1876 – 1891), primarily as a center fielder, and compiled a lifetime .301 batting average. According to some reports, he was also the first player to turn an unassisted triple play.

The only other Triple Crown winner not in the Hall of Fame, Tip O’Neill played in three major leagues over ten seasons from 1883 to 1892. In his spectacular 1887 Triple Crown season for the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, the left fielder also led the league in hits, doubles, triples, total bases, slugging average, runs, and on base percentage.

No other player has led his league in all three types of extra base hits — doubles, triples, and home runs — in a single season. But O’Neill never led the league in any of these categories again. He did win the batting title again in 1888, with an average 100 points lower than his 1887 average at .335. His lifetime batting average is .326, good for 39th all-time.

After 5 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, second baseman Nap Lajoie moved to the Philadelphia Athletics in the new American League in 1901 and promptly won the Triple Crown with his new team. He also led the major leagues that season in hits, doubles, slugging average, total bases, and runs scored.

In his 21-year baseball career, Lajoie hit over .300 in 16 seasons, including 10 seasons better than .350, and won four more batting titles. His .426 average when he won the Triple Crown in the American League's first season remains an American League record, and his lifetime batting average of .338 puts him 20th on the all-time list. He was the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1911 and 1913 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937.

In 1909, center fielder Ty Cobb not only won the American League and major league Triple Crowns but also led the majors in hits, home run percentage, slugging average, and total bases, and he led the American League in runs scored. Cobb also led the majors with 76 stolen bases — the only Triple Crown winner ever to also lead his league in that category. Cobb's Detroit Tigers finished 1st in the American League but lost the World Series.

In Cobb's 24-year Hall of Fame career, including 22 years with the Tigers, he won a record 11 batting titles, hit over .400 three times (including 1922, when he lost the AL batting title to George Sisler despite hitting .401), and hit over .300 in 23 consecutive seasons. Cobb won the American League MVP award in 1911. His .366 career batting average ranks 1st in baseball and is unlikely to be surpassed.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Rogers Hornsby is the only player to win the National League Triple Crown twice. In 1922, he also led the majors in hits, runs scored, slugging, and total bases. As a player-manager in 1925, Hornsby won the major league Triple Crown and the National League MVP award. He was named MVP again in 1929.

In Hornsby's 23-year Hall of Fame career (1915 – 1937), he won 7 National League batting titles, including 6 consecutive crowns from 1920 to 1925. Among his many other league-leading performances, he led the league in on-base percentage 9 times and in OPS+ (on-base percentage plus slugging, adjusted to the player's ballpark) 12 times. His lifetime .358 batting average is second only to Ty Cobb.

Chuck Klein, right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, won the National League Triple Crown in 1933. His .368 batting average was tops in the majors, as were his 223 hits, and he also led the National League in doubles, slugging average, and total bases.

Klein won the National League MVP Award in 1932 and was a 2-time All-Star (1933 and 1934). He retired after 17 seasons with a .320 career batting average and 300 home runs. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1980.

In 1933 both leagues had Triple Crown winners, and both were in Philadelphia. In 1932, Athletics first baseman Jimmie Foxx had narrowly missed the American League Triple Crown, finishing second with a .364 batting average while leading the league with 58 home runs and 169 RBI and winning the MVP award. But in 1933, Foxx won the Triple Crown, leading the league with a .356 batting average and leading the majors in home runs, RBIs, home run percentage, slugging average, and total bases. He was selected for the first-ever All-Star Game and again was named American League MVP.

In his 20-year career, Foxx compiled a .325 lifetime batting average (42nd all-time), hit 534 home runs (17th), and drove in 1922 runs (8th). He was selected to 9 consecutive American League All-Star teams, won a total of 3 MVP awards, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.

The American League had a Triple Crown winner for the second consecutive year in 1934. Lou Gehrig, the Yankees' first baseman, won not only the AL but also the major league Triple Crown, while also leading the majors in home run percentage, slugging average, and total bases.

Gehrig played 17 seasons with the Yankees until his career was cut short by illness early in 1939. He put together a streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, earning him the nickname "The Iron Horse," and hit over .300 for 12 seasons in a row. Gehrig won 3 American League home run titles and 5 RBI titles. His lifetime totals include a .340 batting average (17th), 493 home runs (tied for 26th), and 1995 RBIs (5th). He was a 2-time MVP and a 7-time All-Star, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in a special election in 1939, the year he retired.

Joe "Ducky" Medwick, left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, won the 1937 National League Triple Crown — the last Triple Crown to date for the NL. His .374 batting average led the majors, as did his 237 hits and 56 doubles. He also led the National League in runs scored, slugging average, total bases, and several other categories, and was named the league's MVP.

In his 17-year career, Medwick played for four teams, all in the National League. He led the National League in runs batted in for three consecutive years and finished with 1383 RBIs (73rd), along with a .324 batting average (47th) and 205 home runs (283rd). Medwick was a 10-time All-Star and entered the Hall of Fame in 1968.

Boston Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams won two American League Triple Crowns, in 1942 and 1947. In his 1942 season, Williams not only won the major league Triple Crown but also led the majors in slugging average, total bases, home run percentage, runs scored, and bases on balls. In 1947, he led the American League in all the same categories.

One of the best hitters in baseball history, Williams had a remarkable 19-year career despite missing 3 complete seasons in his prime (1943–1945) to serve in the military during World War II. He won 6 American League batting titles, and his .406 batting average in 1941 marks the last time to date that a major league player has hit over .400. His lifetime stats put him in 8th place in batting average (.344), 13th in RBIs (1839), and tied for 18th in home runs (521). A 17-time All-Star and 2-time MVP, Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966.

Center fielder Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees led the major leagues in multiple offensive categories when he won the American League Triple Crown in 1956. Mantle was selected as the American League MVP as he led the Yankees to the World Series title — the first time that a Triple Crown winner's team won it all.

Mantle played for the Yankees for his entire 18-year career. Despite many injuries, he helped the Yankees win 12 American League pennants and 7 World Series championships. He hit over .300 in 10 seasons and won 4 AL home run crowns. He was an All-Star in 16 of his 18 seasons and won 3 MVP awards. Mantle was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Outfielder - first baseman Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles, like Nap Lajoie before him, won the American League Triple Crown in his first season in the league. Traded by the Cincinnati Reds of the NL to the Orioles after the 1965 season, Robinson was named the 1966 American League MVP as he led the Orioles to the pennant and the World Series title.

Robinson played for 5 teams in his 21-year career, beginning with his Rookie of the Year season with the Cincinnati Reds in 1956. He won the MVP award in both leagues, having won the 1961 National League award while with the Reds in addition to his 1966 AL award. He was an All-Star for 6 seasons in each league. With 586 lifetime home runs and 1812 RBIs, he ranks 9th and 20th, respectively. Robinson is the only African-American player to win the Triple Crown, and he became the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Indians in 1975. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Boston Red Sox left fielder Carl Yastrzemski won the 1967 American League Triple Crown and MVP Award as he helped the Red Sox win the American League pennant. He also led the league in hits and runs scored, and his home run and RBI totals led the major leagues.

Yastrzemski played all 23 seasons of his major league career (1961 - 1983) with the Boston Red Sox. He won the American League batting title in 1963 and 1968 in addition to his 1967 Triple Crown season, and was selected to the All-Star team 14 times. Among his career accomplishments are 3419 hits (8th), 5539 total bases (8th), and 1844 RBIs (12th). Yastrzemski was a 19-time All-Star and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Through the 2011 season, no player has won the batting Triple Crown for 44 years, since Carl Yastrzemski's American League Triple Crown in 1967. The last National League winner was Joe Medwick, 30 years earlier, in 1937. What's more, besides these 13 players, few others have even come close. A current player, or a future star, may yet join the ranks of Triple Crown winners. But for now, this remains one of the most exclusive and elite clubs in Major League Baseball.