Would you believe it if I told you that the 2024 MLB season saw more stolen bases than any other season in baseball history? Actually, the past two seasons have been historical, with 2024 leading the pack with 3,617 stolen bags and 2023 having the third most (3503), just behind the 1987 season (3,585). What does this mean for fantasy baseball? For one, steals are not as difficult to come by as they may have been a decade ago. But are they dispersed evenly throughout the player pool, or are a few speed demons accounting for more? Can you wait to grab a base stealer like Jose Caballero, who offered little to no production in any category outside of his 44 steals? Or is spending a high pick on someone who can do it all, like Elly De La Cruz or Jose Ramirez, a better strategy?
Let’s dive in.
1. ) 2024 had 24 players with 30+ Stolen Bases
For perspective, 2023 had 18, 2022 had 6 and 2021 had 5. There may be a trend here. More people are running, and fewer managers are staunchly against it.
2.) 7 Players Had 20+ HR, 70+ RBIs, 30+ Steals and had a +.250 AVG
As far as fantasy stats go, these players managed to not drag you down in any category. In some instances, they were not on anyone’s radar before the 2024 season or even during the early parts. There were also several players on the borderline (see Zach Neto or Corbin Carroll).
3.) Stolen Base Specialists?
League dependent, a few guys try to swipe a bag every time they reach base. 31-year-old Darion Blanco on the Royals had 31 hits and 8 walks in 2024 and stole 31 bags. He is someone that you will definitely not need to draft and can pick up later on if you feel you are in dire need of SBs. The same goes for both Victor Robles and David Hamilton, two players who played less than 100 games and stole 30 or more bases.
Takeaways:
The Ohtani’s, Witt’s and Ramirez’s of the world will give you a lot in each category and will surely be among the top selections. Finding players that can give you steals (along with other production) in the later rounds can make or break your team in this particular area.
Leave a Reply