Yordan Alvarez Is On Pace to Win Two Types of Triple Crowns - Sports Illustrated

What the report says

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci reported that Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez entered Monday in position to chase a rare pair of batting achievements. According to SI, Alvarez led the majors at that point with 34 home runs, a .431 on-base percentage and a 1.074 OPS, putting him in contention for the traditional Triple Crown and what Verducci described as the “Slash Triple Crown” of batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The article said Alvarez could become the 17th AL/NL player to win a Triple Crown, and only the second to do so while hitting at least 50 home runs, after Mickey Mantle. SI also noted that the slash-line version is even less common, listing Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie among the few to have done it.

Verducci focused on Alvarez’s plate discipline and strength in two-strike counts as a reason his season stands out. SI cited data since 1988 showing Alvarez with a .912 OPS and 256 OPS+ in two-strike situations, ranking behind Barry Bonds’ 1992 season and Victor Martinez’s 2014 mark among qualifying hitters.

The newsletter item also briefly addressed the San Diego Padres, reporting that manager Craig Stammen had begun managing late-July games with playoff-style urgency. SI said the club’s approach included short outings for starters, frequent bullpen use and matchup-based moves as San Diego weighed its position before the Aug. 3 trade deadline and tried to stay in the wild-card race.