By Robby Wellington – Staff Writer
While it is far too early to start worrying about your players’ stats over the first few games, one category that merits monitoring early on is stolen bases. Unlike other hitting categories, stolen bases are all about effort and opportunity; David Ortiz could probably swipe 40 bags if he were so inclined. Steals early on in the year can simply be flukes or, may portend monster steal totals at the end of the year. Let’s try and sort out the most precious of all fantasy baseball commodities.
Kenny Lofton – Lofton has a plum spot atop the Rangers lineup and with two steals on Opening Day, not to mention a 32 out of 37 success rate last season, it appears that the old man still has it. Look for Lofton to approach 40 swipes.
Willy Taveras – For some reason, the Rockies love to run, which is good for Taveras since that is all the guy can do. Assuming that he doesn’t lose too much playing time to Steve Finley, and he shouldn’t, Taveras is my dark horse candidate to lead the majors in SBs.
Vernon Wells – Wells had some unprecedented success running last year and is off to a fast start. This very well may be the year he cracks 20.
Darin Erstad – Apparently Darin Erstad is still playing. While most people remain skeptical of the North Dakotan, he was a consistent 20 steals guy in his prime. 15 steals seems reasonable.
B.J. Upton – The Rays love to run, and Upton should be able to take advantage of that this season. A full workload should yield 30-40 swipes.
Corey Patterson – Patterson’s value is rooted in his ability to run and hit jacks. An early steal bodes well for Patterson owners, as he usually gets them in bunches. He has a decent shot of reaching 40 SBs this year.
Alex Rodriguez – A-Rod has shed some extra poundage and could get back to the mid 20 range this year.
Barry Bonds – Bonds is back and better than ever! From circus catches in left, to opposite field jacks and stolen bases, I expect Barry to have his best season yet. A 70/70 campaign is not out of the question.
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