The following article appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal on May 11 – you can read it by clicking here.
With a quarter of the race complete, the Great Running Royals are in the lead!
Not where it really matters, i.e. the major league baseball standings. Rather in another, much less meaningful, but nonetheless interesting race – that of stolen bases.
Not that everyone else is really trying to win that race. The stolen base is out of vogue, so much so that last season saw the fewest thefts since 1973.
For the past decade or so, the Kansas City Royals have been trying, with mixed results, to go against the flow. When the rest of the league values one thing, the Royals place value on something else, hoping to capitalize on affordable mismatches. So this year, the Royals hoped they could create an advantage by going all in on speed. They signed proven stolen-base threats in Billy Hamilton and Chris Owings, and they retained Terrence Gore as a pinch runner. Add those three to two-time stolen base champ Whit Merrifield and lightning-fast Adalberto Mondesi, and the Royals look more like a track team than a baseball team.
“We have probably the biggest field in baseball,” said Merrifield. “So homers just aren’t going to be as prevalent as they are in Yankee Stadium, or Houston or Milwaukee. It’s important that we have guys that are fast, to cover all that ground. And when you have guys who are fast, they are probably going to be able to steal bases too.
“And when we are stealing bases, and keeping other teams from hitting home runs, it’s probably going to lead to us winning games.”
(Technically, Coors Field is larger than Kauffman Stadium in terms of fair-territory acreage, but the Royals have the largest in the American League by a long shot.)
Merrifield has proven he can steal a lot of bases. He led the league the past two seasons, with 34 in 2017 and 45 in 2018, a personal accomplishment he takes pride in.
“It was a big honor, for something that’s a big part of my game, to say that I was the best at it in the league,” Merrifield said.
But as for his hope that stolen bases could lead to wins, how is it working?
Well, the Royals aren’t winning a lot of games. But not for a lack of running. After 38 games (entering the weekend series against Philadelphia), the Royals lead all of baseball with 37 stolen bases, 16 percent more than their closest American League competitor, and 46 percent more than the league average.
“Numbers wise, we haven’t set a numerical goal team-wise, but we know what kind of a team that we are, and we know what we’re capable of,” Merrifield said. “We’re going to run when we get on base. So whatever the number turns out to be, hopefully it will be a good one.”
Stealing bases is nothing new in Kansas City. In the 1970s, when the stolen base was much more a part of every team’s strategy, the Royals were among the best. They topped 200 three times in the 1970s – 218 in 1976, 216 in 1978, and 207 in 1979. They led the American League with 185 when they reached their first World Series in 1980.
For perspective on the difference in eras, consider that the American League team average for stolen bases in 2018 was 84. Willie Wilson swiped 83 (the Royals’ individual record) in 1979 by himself.
The Royals slowed down some in the 1980s, falling behind steals-crazy teams like Oakland and St. Louis. When the Royals won the championship in 1985, they were just fifth in the American League with 128 steals.
The mildly competitive Royals teams of the 1990s made the stolen base a priority, leading the American League in 1994 and again in 1996.
More recently, the stolen base has played a part in the rejuvenation of the Royals. They led their league in 2013 and 2014, each time with 153. The World Series winner of 2015 stole just 104 bases, but that total ranked second in the American League.
In terms of sheer speed, this team is equipped to achieve historic numbers, a fact not lost on them.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what we can do,” Gore said. “We have got a lot of speed, for sure, so it’s just a matter of getting the opportunities. When you look at what each guy could do, it adds up pretty fast.
“It would mean a lot to us (to achieve a historic total of stolen bases). It would be something cool to be a part of, but if we’re stealing that many bases, then we’re probably scoring a lot of runs. It would be a real honor to be thought of up there with the best.”
Going into the season, there was talk of stealing 200 bases, a feat accomplished by just one team in the new millennium. But at the quarter mark of 2019, they aren’t anywhere near that pace. They are currently on pace for something more like 160. Mondesi is third in the American League with 10. Hamilton is fourth with ten. Merrifield has seven. Gore has five.
Could it pick up?
Probably so. Hamilton has struggled to get on base, a pre-requisite for stealing bases. The team hasn’t been in enough close games to really exploit Gore’s potential. Owings has been dreadful at the plate, minimizing his effect on the basepaths. Hunter Dozier and Alex Gordon, both capable of contributing to the total, haven’t been running.
Not that the stolen base number will affect the win/loss total. It should be seen only as a means to an end. But still, it’s an interesting experiment the Royals are running, and it’s one thing that makes their games fun to watch.