The all-time career-leader in triples is
Sam Crawford (who played for Cincinnati and Detroit from 1899-1917) with 312. His longtime teammate and fellow
Hall of Famer
Ty Cobb is second with 295. Crawford's record won't be broken anytime soon, as only one current player (as of the end of 2000) has over 100 career triples (
Lance Johnson, with 117).
Owen Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates holds the all-time single-season triples record, with 36, in 1912. By comparison, Cristian Guzman of the Minnesota Twins led the majors in 2000 with 20 triples.
With ballparks getting smaller and the increasing focus on power rather than speed, triples are less common than in the past.