Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez may be the most feared slugger in Major League Baseball.

And for good reason.

Why? Alvarez, a Cuban-born left-handed hitter, could become the first player since Miguel Cabrera's historic 2012 season with the Detroit Tigers to win an American League Triple Crown.

That year, Buster Posey's .337 batting average was six points ahead of Cabrera's .331 mark, squashing the first baseman's hopes of leading all qualified American League and National League hitters.

Hall of Fame outfielder Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees was the last player to lead both leagues in all three offensive categories, accomplishing the feat in 1956. Alvarez has a strong chance to do the same in 2026.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Alvarez leads the Majors with a .322 batting average, is tied with Junior Caminero, Matt Olson, and Kyle Schwarber with 35 home runs, and his 87 RBIs trail Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams by four.

As far as the AL goes, Alvarez's 35 homers are tied with Caminero, and Ben Rice trails by three with 32. Chandler Simpson's .307 batting average is 15 points behind Alvarez, and Dillon Dingler's 80 RBIs trail Alvarez by seven.

"Alvarez has also hit the required minimum number of plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, so no hitless at-bats would need to be added to get him to the 502-PA threshold, meaning a season-ending injury would freeze him at .322," Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs wrote Monday about Alvarez's AL batting title hopes.

Staying healthy has been key for the four-time All-Star. Alvarez played just 48 regular-season games in 2025 due to a fractured right hand and a late-season left ankle sprain.

Continuing the trend of good health is crucial as Alvarez's Triple Crown watch intensifies, especially in the power department. Olson is recognized as MLB's current "Iron Man", playing in 901 consecutive games. Unless the Atlanta Braves first baseman suffers an injury, it appears unlikely that streak will come to an end this season. Olson, Caminero, and Schwarber can all go on lengthy power stretches.

Close behind Alvarez for the MLB lead in batting average are Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (.318) and Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez (.314). Lopez and Arraez carry lower strikeout percentages than Alvarez, and the latter walks at a 15.8% rate and could see more free passes down the stretch.

Sal Stewart, Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, and Dingler are all contenders to lead MLB in runs batted in at the conclusion of the season. Of the four, Dingler is the only one to play in the AL.

Winning the MLB-wide Triple Crown is an extremely difficult task. There's a reason it hasn't been done in 70 years.

Since 1956, four hitters have won the AL's batting Triple Crown, including Cabrera.

Alvarez would be the first-ever Cuban player to take home the honors. His chase for baseball history will be must-see TV during the last few months of the regular season.

Photo: Yordan Alvarez (44) bats against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)