Miguel Cabrera in Position for Triple Crown After HR vs. Royals

After hitting his 44th home run of the season against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers now leads the American League in home runs, batting average and RBI.

SportsCenter tweeted on Monday:

"

Miguel Cabrera hits his 44th HR. He now leads the Triple Crown in all 3 categories.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 2, 2012"

Headed into Monday's matchup, the Detroit Tigers' third baseman was hitting .325 with 136 RBI. Joe Mauer (.323) and Mike Trout (.321) ranked second and third, respectively, in batting average, while Josh Hamilton was tied with Cabrera in home runs (43) and trailed him in RBI (127).

The last player to win the Triple Crown was former Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski.  In 1967, he collected 44 home runs and 121 RBI while hitting .326 on the season.

It would truly be a historic moment if Cabrera were able to pull this off.

In fact, there have only been 16 Triple Crowns in MLB history. Ted Williams and Rogers Hornsby are the only players to accomplish the feat twice.

In the "live ball era," it has become increasingly difficult to win the Triple Crown because numerous hitters generally put up more gaudy numbers across the board. The fact that this isn't even a lock for Cabrera at this point is evidence enough.

The Tigers play two more games against the Royals before their regular season is over. If Cabrera can hold on, the seven-time All-Star and 2003 World Series champion would add yet another fantastic accomplishment to his resume.

While the 29-year-old has had his fair share of off-the-field incidents, he's been one of the most consistent offensive threats in baseball throughout his career—he's never posted fewer than 30 home runs and 103 RBI in a single season since 2003.