Without further delay, my Top Five Base Stealers, plus an Honorable Mention.
Honorable Mentions
Ozzie Smith - I know you might think this is a homer pick, but you know I have some numbers. What about someone like Juan Pierre, or Otis Nixon? Both had more stolen bases than Ozzie Smith during their careers, both definitely played during my lifetime, and both actually had some seasons with some really high stolen base totals. The main reason boils down to this: Nixon and Pierre both had roughly forty more career steals than Ozzie, both were large quantity stolen base guys, but they both had success rates in the mid 70 percents. The other mass stolen base players of the eighties and nineties, I know Pierre was later, were all above an 80% success rate. Ozzie was right at 80%, he had 16 seasons with more than 20 steals, 11 with more than 30, 10 seasons with more than 30 (3 were while he was 35 or older), five over 40, and 2 over 50. Ozzie was a consistent stolen base threat throughout his career, he picked good spots to steal, and was pretty successful, all while being the premier defensive infielder of his generation. The only seasons Ozzie did not post more than 20 steals were his last three, which were played at ages 39, 40, and 41. He was also a part time player during those years.
5. Vince Coleman
Coleman ranks sixth all-time in steals, which is the third highest total during my time watching baseball. Between 1985 and 1990 he led the National League in stolen bases every single year, with three of those seasons ending with more than 100 steals. Coleman's totals slowed during his last three years leading the NL in steals, dropping into the into the 80s, 70s, and 60s, but he also drastically improved his success rate. Between the end of the 1988 season and the middle of the 1989 season, Coleman set the Major League Baseball record for consecutive stolen bases without being thrown out with 50. He still owns that record, which seems like it is going to be really hard to touch in this current era of baseball, and he is also the last player to steal 100 bases. Coleman left the Cardinals for the Mets in 1991, his career plummeted though after leaving St. Louis. He was really a system player during the 1980's Whiteyball Era with the Cardinals. There was not a lot of power on the team, but Coleman got on base and it was the same thing as giving up a double or triple. He had trouble carrying his skill set over to other teams, stealing less than 100 bases between 1991 and the end of his career in 1997.
4. Barry Bonds
I put Barry Bonds in the same category as Ozzie Smith, where he has a high total of career stolen bases, but he never had one season with a total high enough to lead the league. He had only one season where he crossed 50 steals, in 1990 with the Pirates, but he generally put up anywhere from 20 to 40 steals in a season. By his mid 30s he had stopped running and became strictly a power hitter. That combination of power and speed is what really puts him on this list for me. There is less opportunity to run hitting in the middle of the lineup, yet he still managed more than 500 stolen bases in his career. In 1996, Bonds became only the second player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. Jose Canseco was the first to reach that mark in 1988, ARod and Alfonso Soriano did it after Bonds. He is also the only player to hit more than 500 home runs and steal 500 bases. The single season totals don't jump out at you, but the overall total combined with his power numbers are extraordinarily impressive.
3. Kenny Lofton
Post-Vince Coleman, Kenny Lofton took over his crown as the best base stealer in baseball during the early 1990s. Similar to Coleman, Lofton had a long run of stolen base championships leading the American League five years straight from 1992 to 1996. The totals were lower than Coleman, stealing somewhere between 60 and 70 bases in a season. Although, Lofton played for teams with a lot more power behind him. I am sure he was given his chances to steal, but I am also sure that having hitter like Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez batting after him also limited the chances at times. Lofton bounced around the second half of his career, never led any league in stolen bases again, but he still remained a productive player. Lofton ended his career with 622 stolen bases. I have seen some good arguments for Lofton deserving a long look from whatever today's equivalent of the Veterans Committee is for the Hall of Fame.
2. Tim Raines
Raines is fifth all-time in stolen bases. From 1981 through 1984 he led the National League in stolen bases each of those seasons. He might have tacked another two to three stolen base titles if not for Vince Coleman. After winning four straight stolen base titles, had five other season where he finished in the top 5 in the league. In all, he had 8 seasons with more than 50 stolen bases. Unlike most of the other mass stolen base players of the 1970s and 1980s, the other exception is the first player on this list, Raines actually had a really exceptional on base percentage. During his 11 season where he played regularly with the Expos, he never had an on base percentage under .350. By the time Raines played on a visible team, the late 1990s Yankees, he was a reserve player. It took him awhile to get the Baseball Writers to appreciate his career numbers, he was primarily an Expo, but he finally made the Hall of Fame last year.
1. Rickey Henderson
Hopefully you knew who was first on the list before you even clicked the link. If I had to pick out records set by modern baseball players that are nearly untouchable, I would have to put Henderson's career and single season stolen base records near the top of the list. He ended his career with more than 1,400 steals, which is roughly 400 steals more than Lou Brock, who is second all time. It's more than double the career totals of both Juan Pierre and Kenny Lofton, who were the last two players to enter the top 20 list of all-time base stealers. As for Henderson's single season record of 130, set in 1982, the last time a player came within 50 steals of that number was in 2007 when Jose Reyes stole 78 bases. The closet any one player has come since the record was set was Vince Coleman in 1985 when he finished 20 away with 110. Beyond steals, Henderson collected 3,000 career hits, a career on-base percentage over .400, and is the all-time career leader in runs scored. Bonds or Mike Trout are the best players that I have seen in person, but Henderson is definitely in my top 5. The first half of his career, which was spent with the A's during two different stints, the Yankees, and Blue Jays was incredible. The second half of career was spent drifting between a few more stints in Oakland, Padres, Angels, Mets, Mariners, Red Sox, and Dodgers. I feel like several of those years tainted the big picture of how great a player Rickey Henderson was during his prime.
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