Lance Berkman Completing The Triple Crown: Contender or Pretender?

For a guy who will most assuredly surpass the 300 HR mark this season, in just his ninth full season in the majors, it should not be a surprise to anyone that Astros first baseman Lance Berkman is having such a great year.

As a third of the "Killer Bs", along with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, Berkman flourished at the plate, hitting 45 HRs and driving in 136 RBI in 2006.  His power surge continued in 2007, as he cranked out 34 HRs and 102 RBI. 

Berkman has all the tools in his swing, most notably is his ability to switch-hit.  If a player can swing the wood from both sides of the dish consistently, it is an invaluable asset to his team.  Berkman can do just that.

In addition to his switch-hitting skill, Berkman has become an established opposite-field hitter.   He has an extraordinary knack for being able to direct the bat at key times to either pull the ball or let it stay longer and go to the opposite field.  

Having said this, I don't believe that Berkman will become the first player to complete the triple crown since the Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967.  Furthermore, no NL player has accomplished the feat since 1937, when the Cardinals' Joe Medwick did it.

Not to mention that Berkman still doesn't lead in all three categories, despite having a BA/HR/RBI line of .391/15/43.  The Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones is hitting a whopping .418 from the plate.  While Berkman leads the other two categories, several players who put up big power numbers year in and year out aren't far behind.

Rafael Furcal, for example, a speedy shortstop is hitting .366, and perhaps the best player in the game, Albert Pujols, is hitting a solid .357.  For Berkman to accomplish this feat, he will also have to out-duel Chase Utley, who has been hitting homeruns with regularity this year, already notching 14. 

To be honest, besides Pujols, there are only two real Triple Crown threats that I can think of coming out of the NL on any given year: Derrek Lee and Hanley Ramirez.  I think all three of these players have the staying power and talent to accomplish the feat.

Let's talk reality, however.  Pujols won't ever do it because he gets walked too often to put up exceptionally gaudy numbers.   The same case might be said for Berkman, as he is in the top 15 in the NL in walks (25 to Pujols' 41). 

Taking nothing away from Berkman's start—especially his last 14 games, in which he is hitting an astronomical .556—it simply won't happen.  When Yastrzemski won it in 1967, he hit .326, with 44 HR and 121 RBI.

In today's game, that's merely an quality season for some of the league's best players.  Take Berkman's 2006 season as a prime example: he hit .315, 45 HRs, and 136 RBI, and he was third in the NL MVP voting behind Ryan Howard and Pujols.  Albert, who finished second, eclipsed all the numbers set by Yastrzemski, hitting .331, 49 HRs, and 137 RBI.

It just goes to show you how tough the MLB has gotten over the past couple of years.  So here's to you Lance Berkman, for a quality start in its own right, but there's almost no chance at the Triple Crown.