Gimmie Five! Dexter "The Prowler" Fowler Steals Five Bases in a Game

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Disclaimer: If you read my prior piece, "The Stolen Base. A Lost Art. Will We Ever See a 100 Steal Man Again?" then you know how I've been clamoring for someone to take the reins that predecessors Rickey Henderson, Rock Raines, and Vince Coleman left as the next 100-steal man.

I thought it might be Jose Reyes; I thought it might be fellow rookie Florida Marlins' third baseman Emilio Bonifacio, before he seemingly forgot how to steal bases after three Opening Day thefts. Now could it be Dexter Fowler?

On the first day of each month, I am going to be keeping tabs on the ML stolen base leaders on their quest to steal 100 and will post updates so progress can be tracked and monitored. Check back with my archive for updates.

Dexter Fowler...

I'd never heard of him before last night's magical performance.

Unless you are a Rockies fan or, unfortunately, a Padres player or fan, it's likely you hadn't either.

Despite supposedly being a five-tool player and the real deal, if his past minor league statistics mean anything, last night was sadly an aberration.

This brings a whole new meaning to one-night stand.

2006: Age 20, Low A ball, 43 steals

2007: Age 21, A ball Modesto, 20 steals

2008: Age 22, AA ball Tulsa, 20 steals

2009: Rookie, Colorado Rockies, nine steals through 16 games played; on pace for 91 steals.

Enter Chris Young, Padres pitcher, to whom this greatness can be attributed. His known slow delivery to the plate enabled Fowler to get big leads with big results all night on the base paths.

Lost in Fowler's impressive statistical night was the fact that in order to steal all those bases, which he did through the first four innings, he first had to get on base, which he did equally masterfully, especially for such a young kid.

Next, once he got on base in a variety of ways (two singles and a walk), it's not like he was simply running wild or undisciplined. His second steal of the night was part of an orchestrated successful double steal courtesy of Ryan Spilborghs. On top of that, he was never caught so much as a single time—five for five on the night.

Finally, to cap off Fowler's amazing success and the epitome of why we get on base in the first place, all three times he reached base, he scored runs for his team, who won as a result.

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