When Kendrys Morales shocked his teammates, not to mention the Twins, by stealing second base last May 1, it was the first base he had pilfered in 3,133 days. Kevin Pillar led the Blue Jays with 14 stolen bases last season. Whit Merrifield of the Royals led the charge last season, with 45 stolen bases, followed by Washington’s Trea Turner (43) and Seattle’s Mallex Smith (40). Average speed on a stolen base, from no less an authority that the Smithsonian Institution, is 3.5 seconds. Obviously you want that (stolen base) rate to be above 80 per cent for it to be effective, where it starts to get less than efficient.

Source: thestar March 18, 2019 22:50 UTC