Why does the Triple Crown seem underhyped?

Fair point

 

Looks like HR's did not pick up until 1922:

1967 AL Carl Yastrzemski BOS .326, 44 HR, 121 RBI
1966 AL Frank Robinson BAL .316, 49 HR, 122 RBI
1956 AL Mickey Mantle NYY .353, 52 HR, 130 RBI
1947 AL Ted Williams BOS .343, 32 HR, 114 RBI
1942 AL Ted Williams BOS .356, 36 HR, 137 RBI
1937 NL Joe Medwick STL .374, 31 HR, 154 RBI
1934 AL Lou Gehrig NYY .363, 49 HR, 165 RBI
1933 AL Jimmie Foxx PHA .356, 48 HR, 163 RBI
1933 NL Chuck Klein PHI .368, 28 HR, 120 RBI
1925 NL Rogers Hornsby STL .403, 39 HR, 143 RBI
1922 NL Rogers Hornsby STL .401, 42 HR, 152 RBI
1909 AL Ty Cobb DET .377, 9 HR, 107 RBI
1901 AL Nap Lajoie PHA .426, 14 HR, 125 RBI
1887 AA Tip O'Neill STL .435, 14 HR, 123 RBI
1878 NL Paul Hines PRO .358, 4 HR, 50 RBI

Casty might be able to add more but my recollection was that Frank Robinson was upset that his Triple Crown was not a big deal and thought it had a bit to do with racism.

 

Boom, if my memory is still working at this advanced age, your point on F. Robby is correct.

 

I wonder how much with Robinson had to do with the .316 average. It didn't seem like a monster season, I imagine, just a historical accident.

 

Obligatory post pointing out that MVP and Triple Crown didn't always coincide before. Williams has two of each. Four seasons.

 

Steroids!!!! Sorry, had to do it.
One oddity there to share. Horsnby and Williams are the only men to win the triple crown twice, but that achievement is not mentioned on their HOF plaques.

 

The 1960s American League was where batting average went to die -- until Rod Carew came on the scene. Yaz won the batting title in 1968 with a snappy .301.

 

Interesting that the last one in the NL was in 1937. Anyone want to advance any theories as to why that is? Discuss.

 

Robinson was the MVP in '66, too, so it wasn't like his season didn't draw attention. Yaz probably got more attention for his Triple Crown the following season (even though he only tied Killebrew in homers) because it was accomplished in the middle of tremendous four-way pennant race that went down to the final weekend.

 

Did it happen with anyone besides Williams? In that case it was his feud with the press and not any devaluing of the feat back then.

I think dooley is right and that it's mostly about RBIs. We had an article on here awhile back foreseeing the end of RBIs completely as a statistic. I don't think that'll ever happen because it's much easier shorthand -- Miguel Cabrera had 140 RBIs and that means he had a pretty fucking good year. Does it mean he was better than everybody who had 130 RBIs? No, but OPS and OPS+ and for God's sake WAR don't mean that either.

 

In the 80's and 90's Tony Gwynn had a bit to do with it.

 

Which stats would you use in determining what kind of a year a player had LTL?