The Many Details of the Stolen Base

Not all baseball players can be the guys who hit 400-foot home runs or smack doubles to the gap. Some athletes have to take advantage of the small-ball aspects of the game. Bunting can be a useful strategy to advance a runner to second or third. It can also help a hitter get on base against a tough pitcher. Other useful tactics include sacrifice flies and tagging up.

One of the most exciting parts of small-ball is the stolen base. It starts with the lead. The base runner takes a few small steps off the bag and watches the pitcher, who soon glances back at the runner. A game within a game ensues. If the base runner strays too far from the bag, the pitcher may attempt a pick-off move. If the lead is right on the border, perhaps a stare down will follow. Sometimes the pitcher steps off the mound and resets. If a base runner can get the right lead, secondary lead and jump, they could be off to the races.

Coaches of young speedsters need to spend plenty of time teaching the intricacies of base running and base stealing. Without a proper understanding of the art, a player could easily be thrown out and cost the team a scoring opportunity. Through sports team websites, coaches can outline the many steps and best practices of base running.

Nationals like to run

Matt Williams, manager of the Washington Nationals, has plenty of players on his team that can put pressure on opponents with their speed. As a result, Williams stresses the importance of base running, according to SB Nation.

“I want to steal second base,” Williams told the news source. “I want to hit and run. I want to go first to third. Those are important to me. I think we’ve seen that if we can score that extra run, it can be really special. So, yeah, aggressiveness is key.”

The science of base running

Smithsonian Magazine recently studied the many intricacies of the stolen base by looking at the process of Ricky Henderson, Dave Roberts and other legendary base swipers. The most important variable is a runner’s speed. After that, the jump.

“The lead isn’t as important as you might think,” David Kagan, a physicist at California State University at Chico, told the news source. “I would have bet the lead would be in the top three, but the third [most important factor] was the final speed when reaching second base.”