Running Game—Stolen Bases

[stringer bell]

With the new rules, I was fearful that the Twins would be abused by teams running on them. In comparison, with little change in personnel, I presumed the Twins wouldn’t take advantage of the new rules and there would be a huge disparity between stolen bases allowed compared to the number of bases the Twins would steal. 
 

Sixty-six games in, the Twins are among the leaders in throwing out base stealers and actually have experienced success in stealing bases. They’ve allowed 32 stolen bases in 46 attempts while the team has successfully stolen 34 bases in 40 attempts. They still rank toward the bottom in total steals, but having a positive differential and a higher percentage than their opponents is a pleasant surprise. 
 

The acquisitions of Michael A Taylor and Willi Castro and their amount of playing time are big reasons for the improved numbers. Taylor and Castro have combined for 23 of the 34 swiped bags and between them have only been caught twice (both Castro). 
 

Who would have thought that the team would try to steal the tying run into scoring position in the ninth inning? The Twins did just that yesterday. The stolen base portion of the running game has worked out far better than expected. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I am pleasantly surprised at the percentage of runners the catchers have thrown out. I wonder if they are calling the right pitches at the right times, if catcher skills have improved, or if there’s something else at work.