Managers say it all the time. We're going to get our guys running a little more this year and take advantage of our team speed. That's great ... if you have speed. Or to be more accurate, if you have people with speed who know how to steal bases. But most teams do not. That's why stealing has become a secondary part of the game. This isn't the 1970s. Lou Brock aint walkin through that door. There are no more Rickey Hendersons.
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| Back in the day, swiping bases was an important part of the game. Now, it's often a fool's errand. |
In today's game, pitchers and catchers watch baserunners like hawks. Slide steps and varied timing on their deliveries allow pitchers to control the running game more than their predecessors. Add to that the tremendous power-hitting increase and stealing has in many cases become to risky a proposition. Why run into outs when the steroid pumping freak on deck looks like he might hit the next pitch he sees to the moon?
Old managers love the nostalgia of stealing bases, hit-and-runs, squeeze bunts, and so on, but that just isn't reality anymore. Do I wish it were? Sure. But it isn't. Most teams do not have the speed or base stealing aptitude to get guys running more.
Besides, how much progress can one team make in an offseason in the "running" department? I know good base running isn't just base stealing, but realistically if you're slow one season you're going to be slow the next. Why lie to yourselves and your fan base? The Cubs and Blue Jays will not be stealing bases this year because they don't have the people to do it. A manager's determination to run more won't change that fact. They can try to run more, but they'll just being running themselves into disappointing seasons ... again.
And it's ok if you can't run. The Giants stole the fewest bases in the majors last year, and they did ok I think.
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