The Quest for 100 Steals: Can Carl Crawford or Anyone Else Do It?

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Figgins has 22 steals through the first 62 games (33-29) with the Angels, and he's on pace for 58. A few negatives here. First, at 31 he's the oldest of the quintet in question. Second, he has a history of fast stolen-base starts and diminishing finishes (kind of like the Baltimore Orioles). Finally, managers and GMs like to see an 80 percent success rate for stolen bases and Figgins has stolen safely only 75 percent of the time. Expect him to drop off, but I'd love for him to prove me wrong and stay in the race.

5. Michael Bourn

Bourn stole 22 bases in 26 attempts through 61 games with the Houston Astros, and he's on pace for 57. Bourn has let me down in the past—most recently last year with 15 steals through May 1 only to finish with a pathetic 41 for the entire season.

He also played in 138 games and had almost 500 at-bats, so injury wasn't an issue. Maybe that .229 batting average was?

With his team currently in last place, will the desire to run continue throughout or will his philosophy change if the team keeps losing? My guess is this is fool's gold and he'll fall back down to earth soon. Normal Bourn identity crisis.

There you have it—the top five steals leaders as of today. It should be noted that my intent is not just to wish for a 100-steal man as an end-all. It does no good for Crawford or anyone else to steal 100, 101, or 110 if the next closest guy has something like 45 and we are to consider that "fast" by modern MLB standards.

Ellsbury and company need to keep the pressure on Crawford all season long in order to keep this exciting but fading category relevant. While I'd like to see Crawford crack 100, it's just as important that the next closet guy gets 70-plus, followed by a couple of players somewhere in the 60s, then someone concluding the race with something in the high 50s.

History shows 40-50 should not be praised nor celebrated. Not when Vince Coleman stole 110 as a rookie in 1985 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sorry, but Johnny Damon's typical 40 stolen bases does not make him a stolen-base threat in my eyes. Nor do Alfonso Soriano's 40-stolen-base seasons of the past. They simply seem fast by today's benchmark because we have gone away from steals as an offensive ingredient. If no one else is doing it, you appear fast and win stolen-base titles by default.

Check back after July 1 for monthly updates on the quest for 100 and to keep pace. Will one of these men do it? Will their teams' focuses change as we hit the homestretch? Will a new candidate emerge?

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