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Triple Crown winners: Miguel Cabrera joins exclusive club

Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has joined a very exclusive list of MLB Triple Crown winners.

Ed Zurga - Getty Images

Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera became the first MLB Triple Crown winner since 1967 on Wednesday night, as he finished the 2012 season with the American League lead in batting average (.330), home runs (44) and RBIs (139). How exclusive is the Triple Crown club? Cabrera is only the 15th player to win the Triple Crown in MLB history. The list includes Hall of Fame players like Carl Yastrzemski, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Joe Medwick, Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein, Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie.

This rare statistical achievement highlights the broad talents Cabrera possesses at the plate, and his raw numbers rank among the very best of the Triple Crown winners in the modern era:

Year Player Position Team League HR RBI AVG
2012 Miguel Cabrera Third baseman Detroit Tigers AL 44 139 0.33
1967 Carl Yastrzemski Left fielder Boston Red Sox AL 44 121 0.326
1966 Frank Robinson Right fielder Baltimore Orioles AL 49 122 0.316
1956 Mickey Mantle§ Center fielder New York Yankees AL 52* 130* .353*
1947 Ted Williams Left fielder Boston Red Sox AL 32 114 0.343
1942 Ted Williams Left fielder Boston Red Sox AL 36* 137* .356*
1937 Joe Medwick Left fielder St. Louis Cardinals NL 31 154 0.374
1934 Lou Gehrig First baseman New York Yankees AL 49* 165* .363*
1933 Jimmie Foxx§ First baseman Philadelphia Athletics AL 48 163 0.356
1933 Chuck Klein Right fielder Philadelphia Phillies NL 28 120 0.368
1925 Rogers Hornsby Second baseman St. Louis Cardinals NL 39* 143* .403*
1922 Rogers Hornsby Second baseman St. Louis Cardinals NL 42 152 0.401