Sounds like I hate stolen bases, doesn’t it? Well, I do – the focus on steals reminds me so much of an era in baseball, the 1970s and early 1980s, when baseball forgot what it was. Homers dropped and everyone started playing in these cookie cutter arenas on fake turf where speed was king. Oh, and they all started wearing ridiculous uniforms that looked nothing at all like baseball. There were a few that still believed in the long ball – Earl Weaver of course loved the strategy of walk, walk, three-run homer – but they were few and far between. So, when rotisserie baseball was first created, you had plenty of people that could run, probably as many as could hit homers, and it was one of the key stats.

Now, players are back to mashing. Earl Weaver is the prophet that teams like the A’s and Red Sox base their philosophies of life on. And the stolen base has faded away from most players’ arsenal, with more players built like David Ortiz than like Juan Pierre. So, the stolen base has become all that more elusive, with guys like Carl Crawford and Jose Reyes going in the first round of drafts simply for the speed they generate. And, sure enough, those guys can win the category for you. However, there are plenty of other guys that will, here and there, pick you up a stolen base, and the cumulative effect can work out for you.

And that’s the focus this week of Burning up the Bases (took me long enough to get there, huh? I always had that problem in school too – five page thesis and one page backing it up…), as we take a look at unlikely stolen base candidates, or, as I like to call them…

Fat Men Who Run

Prince Fielder, First Base, Milwaukee Brewers – The perfect personification of a player that one typically does not think of as a basestealer but has the potential to do so. While he has yet swipe a base this year, getting caught in both attempts so far, he did steal seven last year, stole eight in 2005 in Triple-A, and he stole 11 in Double-A in 2004. Will he ever hit double-digits in steals in the majors? Probably not, but he will give you an occasional stolen base, and I would be shocked if he finishes the year with less than half a dozen.

Adam Dunn, Outfield, Cincinnati Reds – Alright, he’s not really fat, more beefy, but he is certainly someone that has surprising baserunning ability. Dunn already has seven stolen bases on the season, and he has stolen as many as 19 in the majors in the past. He is on pace for 19 again this year, but he won’t hit that many. That said, he is almost certainly going to break double-digits in stolen bases.

Russell Martin, Catcher, Los Angeles Dodgers – By default, any catcher with stolen bases counts as a fat guy that runs, so Martin certainly fits the bill. Martin already has eight stolen bases this year after swiping ten last year, and he has stolen as many as 15 in a season while in the minors. How many will he swipe this year? He is on pace for over 20, but that seems a little unreasonable considering the physical toll that the tools of ignorance will take on him. However, matching his career high of 15 definitely seems like a strong possibility.

Albert Pujols, First Base, St. Louis Cardinals – Okay, fine, “fat men who run” was a misnomer, but none of these guys fit the prototypical stolen base built. Pujols has yet to steal this year, but had seven stolen bases last year and 16 in 2005, and he has had at least five each of the last four years. So, he will run at some point this year, the only question is when. The 16 from two seasons ago is probably not likely to return any time soon, but at least five or six again this year would not be a stretch.

Mark Teahen, Outfield, Kansas City Royals – Stolen bases might not be what you expect out of Teahen when drafting him, but he is actually a pretty good source of steals. Teahen already has six this year after stealing ten last year and seven the year prior. Teahen might not have ripped up a ton of steals while in the minors, but he was also in a system – the Athletics – that talked about stolen bases with the same scorn that I talk about Paris Hilton. There is no reason to believe that cannot rip off at least 12-15 bases for the season.

So there are a handful of guys that will give you a handful or more of stolen bases that, at least on first thought, you might not think would be up for giving you any. And I would much rather have a bunch of guys like that than a Juan Pierre where I get one homer every two years.

Next week, some more traditional baserunners…

Have a question or comment for Mark? Email him at markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com.