Toronto — Major League Baseball is experiencing its highest stolen-base numbers in 36 years, but the Yankees have not taken full advantage of this trend. The new rules that promote increased action on the base paths favor teams with athleticism, an area where the Yankees have been lacking. While stealing more bases may not instantly solve the Yankees’ offensive struggles, it certainly hasn’t helped their cause during a season marked by consistent inaction.
“Obviously, the [pickoff limits] and the emphasis on the running game with the larger bases definitely favors athleticism,” explained manager Aaron Boone before Thursday’s disappointing 6-0 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. “That’s an area we want to improve.”
This highlights the need for the Yankees’ younger players to step up and play key roles in their anticipated bounce-back season next year. When Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira were called up in late August, followed by Jasson Dominguez on September 1, their athleticism immediately stood out. This was not only a testament to their skills but also an indictment of the Yankees’ roster throughout the majority of the season.
According to Baseball Savant, the Yankees have the slowest average sprint speed in the majors, at 26.6 feet per second. They also rank last in bolts — sprints faster than 30 feet per second, considered elite speed — with only six, all coming from Peraza (three), Estevan Florial (two), and Dominguez (one).
While there are playoff-bound teams that lack high-end team speed and do not cause havoc on the bases, they compensate for this in other areas of their offense, which the Yankees have failed to do.
“Athleticism has always been valuable, so I don’t want to downplay its importance in the past,” Boone acknowledged. “But it’s clear that athleticism has become even more crucial with the recent rule changes. It’s a necessary attribute for a team to have in order to have a better chance of winning.”
Rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe leads the Yankees with 24 steals, although his stealing prowess has diminished since his impressive start. In his first 41 games, he stole 13 bases, but in the next 114 games, he only managed 11 steals. Behind Volpe, Harrison Bader (17) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (13) rank second and third in steals but are not expected to be on the roster next season. Gleyber Torres (13) is the only other Yankee with double-digit steals.
The Yankees have the potential to add more base-stealing threats in Peraza, who stole 33 bases at Triple-A last season, and Dominguez, who swiped 40 bags between Double-A and Triple-A this year. However, for them to showcase their skills at the major league level, they need to consistently get on base.
Overall, the Yankees’ 98 steals this season are fewer than their 102 steals last year when the rules were not as favorable for base-runners. In contrast, across MLB this season, there have been 3,416 steals through Wednesday’s games, on pace to break the record set in 1987 (3,585).
Whether the Yankees can catch up next year remains uncertain and will depend on how they reshape their roster during the offseason.
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