Welcome to the steals report! I will be here every Wednesday to go over important stolen base trends so you can find more speed for your fantasy teams.
Stealing a base is as much about the opposing pitcher and catcher as it is the actual base runner themself. So, being able to spot which teams and pitchers specifically are being run on most frequently will help you to figure out who can swipe some bags over the next week.
Last week, I talked about the Yankees potentially running wild against the Reds and they stole 10 bags in their three-game series over the weekend.
Before we get to this week’s important trends, here is the stolen base leaderboard on the season so far.
The Phillies have the best record in baseball (33-16) since Don Mattingly took over as manager.
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D.J. Short
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D.J. Short
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Full Season Stolen Base Leaders
| Player | SB | CS |
| Nasim Nuñez | 31 | 3 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | 28 | 4 |
| José Ramírez | 24 | 2 |
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 23 | 4 |
| Oneil Cruz | 21 | 4 |
| Randy Arozarena | 19 | 4 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | 18 | 8 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | 18 | 5 |
| Jakob Marsee | 18 | 9 |
| José Caballero | 17 | 7 |
| Chandler Simpson | 17 | 8 |
Nasim Nuñez has surged to the top of this leaderboard and is hitting better of late. He keeps finding ways to stay in the Nationals’ lineup everyday.
Otherwise, nearly half of this list is on the injured list right now. Thankfully, Bobby Witt Jr. seems to have avoided a similar fate with his knee injury and should be back in the Royals’ lineup soon.
Last Seven Days Stolen Base Leaders
| Player | SB | CS |
| Nasim Nuñez | 5 | 0 |
| Jasson Domínguez | 4 | 0 |
| Jackson Merrill | 4 | 0 |
| Cooper Pratt | 4 | 0 |
| Dansby Swanson | 3 | 0 |
| Otto Lopez | 3 | 0 |
| Andrés Giménez | 3 | 0 |
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 3 | 0 |
| Bryson Stott | 3 | 0 |
| Chandler Simpson | 3 | 0 |
Jasson Domínguez has hit the ground running – literally – since returning from the injured list. Do not overlook him if he happens to still be available on the waiver wire as a power, speed threat who’s hitting second for the Yankees against right-handed pitching.
There are questions about how Cooper Pratt’s bat will translate to the big leagues, but he’s getting on base so far and running when he does.
Our long national nightmare is over because Chandler Simpson has finally stolen a base again after going six weeks without successfully doing so.
Stolen Base Disappointments
| Player | SB | CS |
| Geraldo Perdomo | 11 | 7 |
| Zach Neto | 11 | 7 |
| Ceddanne Rafaela | 9 | 6 |
| Austin Martin | 8 | 5 |
| Daylen Lile | 7 | 5 |
| Andy Pages | 7 | 4 |
| Garrett Mitchell | 6 | 5 |
| Gunnar Henderson | 6 | 4 |
| Willi Castro | 5 | 4 |
| Maikel Garcia | 5 | 3 |
| Lawrence Butler | 5 | 3 |
| Isaac Collins | 4 | 4 |
| Steven Kwan | 3 | 1 |
| Ozzie Albies | 1 | 3 |
| Jose Altuve | 1 | 2 |
| Willy Adames | 1 | 2 |
| Mookie Betts | 1 | 2 |
For as much better Geraldo Perdomo has been as a hitter, he’s been remarkably inefficient as a base stealer.
Same with Zach Neto who just can’t get out of his own way in that realm so far.
Fantasy Baseball Stolen Base Targets
The Reds have allowed the most stolen bases in each of the last three weeks and have steamrolled their way to the most allowed in total on the season. Over the last seven days, opposing teams stole 12 bases against them and were only caught twice.
Andrew Abbott has been consistently targeted by base stealers lately. The Yankees swiped three bags against him and Jose Trevino on Saturday and with that, he’s now allowed the most stolen bases of any pitcher in the league.
Funny enough, he picked José Caballero off second base right after he stole it in the second inning. Abbott is remarkably low in terms of pick-off attempts considering how much he’s struggled lately in the running game.
Yet, Chase Burns was the Reds’ biggest culprit this week. The Yankees stole six bases against him and Tyler Stephenson on Sunday! They caught a runner as well and Burns picked Anthony Volpe off first, but six stolen bases is a load. Especially when only eight runners reached base during his entire start.
Being so effective all season may have hid some of Burns’ potential struggles in the run game because well, you can’t steal first base and his 1.06 WHIP is among the lowest of all qualified pitchers. We will keep an eye on him moving forward while targeting the Reds.
They face the Pirates and Brewers over the next week and Abbott is scheduled to next pitch on Friday night in Pittsburgh. So, take a look at Jake Mangum, Cooper Pratt, Jared Triolo, and David Hamilton as stolen base streaming options coming up.
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