Aaron Judge Triple Crown watch: Updated stats for Yankees superstar seeking second Triple Crown since 1967

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Aaron Judge
(Getty Images)

As the MLB season winds down, all eyes are on the Bronx as Aaron Judge seeks milestone after milestone.

The Yankees outfielder is at 61 home runs and counting, but he's also looking for another exceptionally rare achievement: The Triple Crown. Just one Triple Crown has been won since Carl Yastrzemski with the Red Sox in 1967; Miguel Cabrera achieved the feat in 2012 with the Tigers.

Judge has flown onto the Triple Crown scene in a year where it looked like the National League might produce a leader in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. Paul Goldschmidt looked like a real threat in St. Louis, but he's now off Kyle Schwarber's home run pace.

Judge has two categories — home runs and RBIs — all but locked up. He's fighting with Luis Arraez of the Twins for the batting title.

MORE: How likely is it that Aaron Judge leaves the Yankees?

Here's what to know about Judge's court with history.

What is the Triple Crown?

For those not in the know, the Triple Crown is when a player leads either the American or National League in batting average, home runs and RBIs.

The feat is exceptionally rare, particularly in modern baseball, where contact is often sacrificed in favor of launch angle. 

While the Triple Crown used to be less rare, it is nearly unheard of in today's game. Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012 with a .330 average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBIs. The latter two stats led the major leagues.

Before Cabrera, the most recent player to win the award was Yastrzemski, who batted .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs in 1967.

How close is Aaron Judge to a Triple Crown?

Judge has the home run and RBI races all but locked up, as he has an insurmountable lead over Mike Trout in the home run category and a sizable one over Jose Ramirez in RBIs.

Where the race is tight is in batting average. He trails the Twins' Luis Arraez by four points through games of Oct. 2. It's shocking that Judge is in this position, given that his average was at .282 as recently as July. Judge's torrid pace since has him back in position to reach yet another peak in what is arguably the best contract year in MLB history.

MORE: Why the Yankees haven't extended Aaron Judge before 2023 offseason

AL home run leaders

Player Team Total
Aaron Judge Yankees 61
Mike Trout Angels 39
Yordan Alvarez Astros 37
Shohei Ohtani Angels 34
Anthony Santander Orioles 33
Corey Seager Rangers 33

AL RBI leaders

Player Team Total
Aaron Judge Yankees 130
Jose Ramirez Guardians 122
Kyle Tucker Astros 104
Adolis Garcia Rangers 98
Yordan Alvarez Astros 96
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Blue Jays 96

AL batting average leaders

Player Team AVG
Luis Arraez Twins .315
Aaron Judge Yankees .311
Xander Bogaerts Red Sox .305
Jose Abreu White Sox .304
Andrew Benintendi Yankees .304

Judge's biggest threat now is Arraez after Bogaerts suffered his version of a slump.

Miguel Cabrera
(Getty Images)

Who has won the Triple Crown?

Since MLB added Negro League records to the MLB record books, the list of Triple Crown winners has expanded, but the feat is still exceptionally rare.

There have been 18 Triple Crown winners in MLB history, with Rogers Hornsby and Ted Williams being the only players to have done it twice.

Year Player Team League HR RBI AVG
2012 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers AL 44 139 .330
1967 Carl Yastrzemski Boston Red Sox AL 44 121 .326
1966 Frank Robinson Baltimore Orioles AL 49 122 .316
1956 Mickey Mantle New York Yankees AL 52 130 .353
1947 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox AL 32 114 .343
1942 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox AL 36 137 .356
1937 Joe Medwick St. Louis Cardinals NL 31 154 .374
1934 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees AL 49 165 .363
1933 Jimmie Foxx Philadelphia Athletics AL 48 163 .356
1933 Chuck Klein Philadelphia Phillies NL 28 120 .368
1925 Rogers Hornsby St. Louis Cardinals NL 39 143 .403
1922 Rogers Hornsby St. Louis Cardinals NL 42 152 .401
1912 Heinie Zimmerman Chicago Cubs NL 14 104 .372
1909 Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers AL 9 107 .377
1901 Nap Lajoie Philadelphia Athletics AL 14 125 .426
1894 Hugh Duffy Boston Beaneaters NL 18 145 .440
1887 Tip O'Neill St. Louis Browns AA 14 123 .435
1878 Paul Hines Providence Grays NL 4 50 .358

Of those on the list, only Zimmerman, O'Neill and Hines are not in the Hall of Fame. O'Neill is enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Cabrera, of course, is not a Hall of Famer but has a one-way ticket to Cooperstown upon his retirement.

MORE: What to know about Aaron Judge's home run chase

Yankees remaining schedule

Here's a look at the Yankees' opponents for the remainder of the regular season.

Date Opponent Ballpark
Oct. 3 Rangers Globe Life Field
Oct. 4 (G1) Rangers Globe Life Field
Oct. 4 (G2) Rangers Globe Life Field
Oct. 5 Rangers Globe Life Field
Author(s)
Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver is a content producer at The Sporting News