Before the holidays, it seemed certain that All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier would play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but team officials recently admitted trade talks with the Minnesota Twins were postponed. Although a deal could still be done before Opening Day, that news should come as a relief to Twins fans.
After all, Minnesota relied almost exclusively last year on Dozier’s production. He led the club in all three of the most traditional offensive categories, earning him the honor of winning the team’s Triple Crown.
He hit .268 and hit 42 home runs, the most by a second baseman in forty years. Dozier also had 99 RBIs, the most of anyone on the Twins despite spending much of the season in the No. 1 spot.
Despite Dozier’s phenomenal season, the Twins finished in last place in the AL Central. In fact, half of the other triple crown-winning teams came from clubs that finished in the basement.
Freddie Freeman got the job done for the Atlanta Braves, who finished bottom of the NL East. He hit .302, hit 34 home runs and had 91 RBIs.
On the opposite coast, the San Diego Padres came in last. They had a triple crown-winning team in Wil Myers, who finished the season with a .259 batting average with 28 home runs and 94 RBI.
Another basement dweller, the Tampa Bay Rays, also had a player who finished with the club’s highest batting average (.273), as well as the most home runs (36) and RBIs (98). Third baseman Evan Longoria’s offensive season was one of the few standouts for Tampa Bay, which finished 2016 with the worst record in the AL East.
The other three triple crown-winning teams come from winning clubs, two of which made it to the playoffs. The Washington Nationals were led offensively by second baseman Daniel Murphy, who hit .347 with 25 home runs and 104 RBI.
Murphy’s former teammate in New York, Yoenis Cespides, took the triple crown for the Mets. He hit .280 (tied with teammate Asdrubel Cabrera), smashed 31 home runs and drove in 86, only to see the Mets lose the Wild Card game in San Francisco.
On the Junior Circuit, Detroit fell one game short of making the postseason. Veteran first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who won baseball’s only Triple Crown this century, hit .316 with 38 home runs and 108 RBI to lead the Tigers.
