Washington Nationals Achieve Rare Baserunning Feat Not Seen This Century
The Washington Nationals aren't the best team in baseball this year, but at least they're fun to watch.
Not only are the Nationals loaded with young, improving talent, but they've also been running wild on the bases, taking advantage of their speed and MLB's recent rule changes that have made stealing bases easier.
Entering Saturday's game against the Miami Marlins, Washington leads MLB in stolen bases with 207, averaging 1.41 per contest.
Not only were the Nationals the first team to reach 200 steals this year, but they also have the most stolen bases of any team in the 21st century.
The Nationals stole their 200th, 201st and 202nd base yesterday, becoming the first team to surpass 200 this century. pic.twitter.com/8sPwH2CRyk
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) September 13, 2024
The last team to reach 200 steals was the 2007 New York Mets, who finished with 200 exactly. Over a third of their steals came from Jose Reyes, who led MLB with 78.
Washington doesn't have a dominant base stealer like Reyes. Instead, they have a young, deep, athletic lineup full of stolen-base threats.
Jacob Young leads the team with 32 steals, which ranks fourth in the National League. He's one of four Nationals with at least 20 steals, and one of seven in double digits.
In other words, almost every player in Washington's lineup is capable of stealing a bag when needed.
The Nationals have also been MLB's most aggressive team by far, leading the league with 273 stolen-base attempts -- 34 more than the second-place Cincinnati Reds. They've been caught stealing the most times as well (66), paying a steep price for their constant risk-taking.
Washington has used their speed to help compensate for deficiencies in other areas of their offense, specifically power and plate discipline. The Nationals rank last in the NL in home runs and total bases, and are 13th in walks, slugging percentage, and OPS.
The strategy may not always be effective, but at least Washington is pushing the envelope and looking for alternative ways to score runs.
