We've all been mesmerized by the incredible hitting talents of Prince Albert since the day he stepped into the Major Leagues. This man has achieved incredible heights, amassed terrific numbers, that will surely land him in the Hall of Fame and has led his team to a World Series Championship! What more could a player ask for? How about a historic feat??
I mean, really historic. Something that hasn't been achieved by a NL player in nearly 3/4 of a century. Yes, the "Holy Grail" of baseball statistics - The Triple Crown. The ultimate prize for a professional hitter.
Something only two great hitters (Roger Hornsby - NL & Ted Williams - AL) have put in their trophy case twice!
The last Major League player to accomplish the Triple Crown was Carl Yastremzki, out of the AL (Red Sox), back in 1967. But... that was the AL. The last Triple Crown winner in the NL occurred thirty years earlier! In St. Louis!
Yup, believe it or not, in 1937 it was Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals that achieved the Triple Crown with 31 HR, 154 RBI and a .374 average. Could it be destined for St. Louis again, 73 years later? To the Prince?
Or, will it be spoiled and maybe even achieved by Cincinnati's Joey Votto?
Joey Votto? Yes, he is having a career year in a quest to lead the Reds to the NL Central title. But, can he upset the Prince and take the crown?
Well, it's completely possible that either of these fine two talents can take home the prize. Let's take a look.
At this time Joey has the lead in the NL Batting title (albeit a tenuous one), with a .323 average.
The problem is... this is the most precarious of all statistics. One bad series and you could drop right out of the batting average race!
The Prince, meanwhile is right in his rear view mirror with a .316 average.
If I were going to bet on either, I'd have to give the nod to Prince Albert. He's been there. He's a 3 time NL MVP. He's got a career .332 average and he's hit over .350 twice. Pretty stellar. Have to lean toward the Prince foiling the challenge of Joey Votto in this category.
As for Home Runs, well.. Prince Albert already holds the lead here at 32 and also has a pretty impressive history to fall back on (just shy of 400!).
Joey Votto is three HRs behind and has never hit more than 25 in any of his previous 3 years at the MLB level. Clearly this year will mark a career high for Votto even if it ended today. Again, I just can't see Votto overtaking The Prince in this category either.
Lastly, RBIs ... where we see The Prince leading Votto by 3. Understanding that this is a stat dependent on many more factors than the previous two. RBIs require opportunity; teammates need to get on base for you to have a chance to "get em in".
Already this season Votto has had fewer opportunities than Prince Albert and may be at a greater disadvantage as a result of the aforementioned HR scenario. The Prince simply rounds the bases himself more often than Votto does. That will add up over the season.
So, when you look at the probability, opportunity, history and ability of the two players. You simply have to believe that this will be the year the NL will see a Triple Crown winner. And... that winner will be - King Albert!
