Stolen bases are the highlight of the 2023 MLB season and are significantly impacting the game. Teams are stealing bases like the World Series depends on it … and it just might be a contributing factor to this season’s champion. The five teams with the most stolen bases have an eye-popping total win percentage of .733. So far in 2023, stealing bases is contributing substantially to wins.
The Cleveland Guardians have a total of 25 stolen bases through 16 games and lead the league. The Angels, Rangers, Twins, Dodgers, and Rockies only have 14 between them. To put that in perspective, the Guardians are on pace for 253 swipes this year, over double last year’s leader (the Texas Rangers) with 125.
The season is still very early, and the honor of the league’s top thief is still anybody’s guess. Four bandits are in a tie for second in total stolen bags: Ronald Acuña Jr., Starling Marte, Myles Straw, and the Yankees’ prized rookie, Anthony Volpe, all have seven steals. That puts them on pace for 71 stolen bases. Last year’s stolen base leader was Miami’s Jon Berti with 41.
The league is looking at a 50 percent increase in stolen bases, and the run totals show it. That brings us to the three players leading the league in stolen bases, the top of MLB’s most wanted list. Let’s look at these three and their impact on their clubs.
MLB stolen base thief #3 — The Bandit of Baltimore
Cedric Mullins is a known thief as he was third in the league last year with 34 swipes. He is on pace to annihilate that number this year. With his eight stolen bases in the first 16 games, he is on pace for 81 steals in 2023 and third on our MLB’s most wanted list.
His steals are increasing the amount of times he is in scoring position, leading to his nine runs. He has drastically improved his walks to at-bats this year, showing excellent plate discipline. Mullins walked 47 times in 608 at-bats last year, one walk to every 12 plate appearance. This year, he has walked 12 times in 60 at-bats. That’s one walk to every five appearances, putting him on pace for 120 walks this year. At the same time, heading into Monday’s games, he maintains a 100 percent stolen base success rate. If you did the math, that could be 55-60 extra times he would be sitting on second base this year.
MLB stolen base thief #2 — The Shortstop Swiper
The Baltimore Orioles are giving the green light at first, and that’s how Jorge Mateo is joining his center field cohort, Cedric Mullins, on the list of the MLB’s most wanted thieves. Mateo has been lighting up the bases and robbing catchers at every chance.
Watch him magically evade the tag on this steal.
Option 3
— For Future Considerations (@PodcastFFC) August 30, 2021
Jorge Mateo makes an unbelievable move to steal second base 🤯 #Orioles #MLB pic.twitter.com/NpJuSzfl8y
Mateo is leading the Orioles with a .372 average and .431 OPS. Getting on base slightly less than half his appearances with an almost automatic 90 percent stolen base success rate is an unfathomable advantage for the Orioles. Add in the plate production of Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle, the Orioles are stockpiling the runs.
Jorge Mateo is a true bandit on the base path and has earned his spot on the MLB’s most wanted list. Catchers across the league will be terrified of the pair of thieves in Baltimore this year, and it will be exciting to see which one of them comes out on top as Baltimores top thief.
MLB’s most wanted — The Crooked Cubby
Move over Al Capone, there is a new criminal in Chicago. Nico Hoerner is the MLB’s most wanted base stealer. In 14 games this season, the Cubs’ second baseman has swiped eight bases. While his eight steals ties Mullins and Mateo, Hoerner did it in just 14 games. His estimated on pace stolen base total is 93.
Nico Hoerner is terrorizing the base paths at Wrigley Field. Heading into Monday, Hoerner has only been caught once in nine attempts, coupled with his .385 OBP, 93 lifted bases are in the realm of possibilities.
Watch him hijack second base in his steal against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Cubs Nico Hoerner is 8-8 in stolen base attempts. Perfect timing on this leap steal. He anticipates the pitcher’s delivery timing & moves before the pitcher does. Note the short lead. He can leap & still get back if the pitcher changes his mind. A short lead & momentum is better pic.twitter.com/nsWftCqo9a
— Jerry Weinstein (@JWonCATCHING) April 16, 2023
Notice the jump he gets on the pitcher, Hoerner is great at reading the pitch. Now that the rules say the pitcher can only attempt a pickoff twice, smart runners will be targeted assets for Major League clubs.
The new rules state that on the third pickoff attempt, if the runner isn’t picked off, they get a free base via a balk. This is something that runners and pitchers are keeping in mind.
Ninety-three stolen bases would be astonishing, so much so that it may be enough to get Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred to reconsider the new rules. We haven’t seen 90 stolen bases since Rickey Henderson took 93 in 1988. If the rules hold up, we are witnessing a new era in baseball, and someone could potentially approach the 138 stolen bases MLB’s most wanted Cincinnati Red Stocking Hugh Nicol clipped in 1887.