MLB Rankings: The 15 Greatest 'Slow Guy' Base Stealers in History
Over the course of baseball history, we have been witness to some amazing feats. Whether it was watching Rickey Henderson steal bases like his life depended on it or remembering where we were and what we thought when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record—young or old, big or small, we've all seen great things in the sport of baseball.
That said, watching some of the guys on this list run the bases isn't one of them.
The following players are guys that weren't exactly paid to steal bases but who have shown us that in the game of baseball, anything can happen. No, you will not find any speedsters on this list, but their polar opposites. These men make up a group of baseball's "slow guys."
I know that by this point you're wondering, "How exactly does a guy get on this list?" Well, that's a simple answer. I looked at the careers of some of the best hitters in baseball history and pointed out some of their abnormal seasons, where following a bunch of single-digit numbers in the stolen base column, a guy like Lance Berkman manages to fool the opposing battery into giving him 18 bases.
Of course, swiping a bag isn't all about speed. It's about timing and patience, as these "slow guys" have shown. With that in mind, however, there is a reason that these players have only accomplished this feat once over the course of their careers, or in the rare case, twice.
These men are some of the most feared hitters in the long history of the game of baseball, but feared baserunners they are not. Perhaps that's what gave them this lone seasonal advantage. Now, all we can do is look back and wonder, "How did that even happen?"
Honorable Mention: Jeromy Burnitz
1 of 17
For some reason still unexplainable to this day, Jeromy Burnitz was one of my favorite baseball players growing up. I grew up in the heart of South Philadelphia as a diehard fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, yet I found myself cheering for Burnitz. You can now file that under "Things I Could Care Less About." Moving on.
As a player, Burnitz had the best years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, helping him to a career slash line of .253/.345/.481 with 315 home runs. He was never much of a base stealer though. Through his first three major-league seasons, he'd stolen a total of eight bases.
1997 was a special year for Burnitz though. He took his running game to a whole different level, stealing 20 bases, the most in a single season of his career by far. The closest he ever came to matching that feat was just 10 in 2002.
15. Derrek Lee
2 of 17
Before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs and began to fully realize his potential a year later, Derrek Lee was an integral part of a Florida Marlins championship team and built up his own value in more ways than one. Not only did Lee set a new personal best, at that point in time, in home runs, he also made impressive strides on the basepaths—or did he?
Drafted out of high school, "D-Lee" was always seen as a tremendous athlete, but at 6'5", 240 lbs., he was never seen as much of a base stealer. Before he swiped 19 bags in 2002, his career high had been just five. Nonetheless, Lee was seen as a great hitter, and he has proven the scouts right to this point in his career, as the current Baltimore Oriole holds a career line of .282/.367/.497 with 313 home runs.
That said, 2003 was a special year for Lee in more ways than one. Not only did he win a World Series with the Marlins, but he also managed to steal 21 bases as the first baseman for the Fish. Impressive.
14. Ivan Rodriguez
3 of 17
In 1999, Ivan Rodriguez was the starting catcher for the Texas Rangers and a feared hitter at the plate. He was the Joe Mauer of his day, in terms of providing a team with the best a catcher can offer from both the offensive and defensive sides of the baseball.
Of course, 1999 was arguably the best season of his career, as he was well en route to capturing the American League MVP Award.
Over the course of his career, he became one of the greatest catchers to ever play the game, and he is still adding to that lore to this day. A member of the Washington Nationals, he is the owner of a career .297/.334/.465 slash line and 309 home runs.
1999 was a special year though. During this season, "Pudge" was more than just an offensive and defensive threat. He was also a threat on the basepaths. Putting that high on-base percentage to use, Rodriguez swiped 25 bases in '99, putting the rest of the league's catchers to shame.
.png?w=256)
13. Adam Dunn
4 of 17
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that if you were surprised by one player on this list, it would be Adam Dunn. After all, the man is nicknamed the "Big Donkey" for a reason. He's slow, powerful and carries people up and down a hill. Okay, that last part may have been a bit of a fabrication, but you get the idea—the guy is slow.
After emerging from the Cincinnati Reds' minor-league system as an outfielder, Dunn's positional progression has been just what we'd expect for a man billed at 6'6", 285 lbs. He went from outfielder to first baseman to designated hitter, and in the process, no one confused him for a stolen base threat.
He's provided the pop in many a lineup, and to date his career slash line reads .250/.380/.521 with 356 big flies and counting.
Once upon a time, however, a young Adam Dunn was putting pressure on the opponent's pitcher. In 2002, a 22-year-old Dunn was still trying to solidify his spot on the Reds' roster despite hitting 19 home runs in his rookie season the year prior. In his sophomore season, Dunn didn't slump—he got better. Not only did the Big Donkey post an on-base percentage of .400, but he also stole 19 bases. Pretty incredible for a guy who, today, can barely catch a baseball on the diamond.
12. Lance Berkman
5 of 17
A lot of people believe that Lance Berkman's down year last season was a fluke—part of the process when you're traded from the only franchise you've ever played with to a completely different place—and he's starting to prove those believers right.
While his current hot streak with the St. Louis Cardinals will go a long way in determining his future, how can we forget his past as the face of the Houston Astros?
Throughout the last decade, Berkman was one of the most feared hitters in baseball with the ability to smash a home run to all fields from both sides of the plate. To date in his career, he is the owner of a .296/.408/.547 slash line with 333 home runs and counting. However, as his career progressed, people questioned his ability as an outfielder, and he settled in at first base.
For that reason, it goes without saying—his career as a base-stealing threat was in jeopardy.
Well, everyone believed that was the case except Berkman. In 2008, as his tenure with the Astros began to wind down to an end, the "Big Puma" took to the basepaths like a big cat, stealing 18 bases for the Astros that season—and never coming close again.
11. George Foster
6 of 17
George Foster was a pretty cool cat. Not only did he have some of the greatest sideburns in all of baseball in the 1970s, but he was an integral part of the Cincinnati Reds' "Big Red Machine," helping the team to back-to-back World Series titles in 1975-76.
Despite being an outfielder with a long frame, however, Foster was never seen as much of a threat on the bases.
For a long time, he was the prototypical left fielder for teams including the Reds and New York Mets. He was the "big thunder" in the middle of the order, not a top of the lineup guy positioned to get on base. After all, the man did have a 50-home run season. That helped bring his career totals to .274/.338/.480 with 348 home runs.
There was one season, though, in 1976, when Foster ran like the wind. He more than doubled his single season personal best in stolen bases, swiping 17 bags as the Reds went on to capture their second straight World Series title. Short and simple, there was no stopping this team.
10. Albert Belle
7 of 17
True fact forthcoming: No player in baseball scared me more during the 1990s than Albert Belle with the Cleveland Indians. Even as I was going through my scary movies phase as a kid, there was no sight more unnerving than Belle peering across the diamond from his own dugout. Gives me chills just thinking about it.
He was as scary at the plate as he was looking on from the dugout, too. Including a 50-home run season, he hit more than 20 home runs every year over the span of a decade, giving pitchers nightmares every time he stepped to the plate. When he retired in 2000, his career slash line settled at .295/.369/.564 with 381 home runs.
If there was one facet of the game Belle wasn't scary at, it was running the bases. While he was an on-base machine in the thick of his career, he wasn't much of a base stealer at all. In fact, he wasn't much of a runner at all. That is, except for his 1993 season with the Tribe, when Belle stole 23 bases and finished seventh in the MVP voting.
9. Dale Murphy
8 of 17
I may be cheating a little bit by singling out Dale Murphy for a list like this because he developed into a very nice "five-tool" player over the course of his career and was athletic enough to steal bases.
But like they say, if you're not cheating, you're not trying, and Murphy certainly wasn't fast enough to be considered a base stealer. So with that in mind, he makes my list.
Over the course of his career, "The Murph" terrorized the National League with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies. Throughout the 1980s, hitters who were as successful as Murphy were few and far between. He helped the Braves to the postseason in 1982, which was also the first of back-to-back NL MVP seasons for The Murph.
He finished his 18-season career with a slash line of .265/.364/.469 and is among the all-time leaders in home runs with 398.
However, the feat that places him on this list came during the 1983 season. Like I said above, I may be cheating a bit here. Murphy was a very athletic, smart baseball player that had the potential to steal bases. That said, he wasn't exactly fleet-footed, and stealing a lot of bases wasn't exactly a projection for him. He did manage to string together five seasons of double-digit stolen bases, including that '83 season when he stole a whopping 30 bases. Not bad for a guy who finished with close to 400 home runs.
8. Andres Galarraga
9 of 17
Andres Galarraga was a great hitter over the course of his career. He was never the prototypical powerhouse-type first baseman. He used a fine blend of vision and discipline to drive the ball all over the place, and of course, the power followed suit. Speed was never his forte though. Or was it?
He played for a number of teams after leaving the Montreal Expos but had arguably his best season with the Rockies in 1996. That year, he finished sixth in the NL MVP voting, blasting a league-leading 47 home runs for the Rocks. That season helped boost his career line to .288/.347/.499 to go along with 399 home runs.
Aside from leading the league in home runs, what made 1996 special for Galarraga? As a 35-year-old first baseman for the Rockies, he managed to steal 18 bases.
7. Carl Yastrzemski
10 of 17
Carl Yastrzemski is a member of the Hall of Fame, but that's certainly not because he was a danger on the basepaths. On the other hand, he is one of the greatest Boston Red Sox of all time and had a period of prolonged dominance at the plate in the American League.
Like a lot of guys on this list, "Yaz" was a great athlete, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he was a speedy baserunner. He made his living smashing the ball out of and around Fenway Park, retiring with a career slash line of .285/.379/.462 along with 452 home runs.
However, the former AL MVP did something in 1970 that many of today's sluggers wish they could do—he stole 23 bases as the Red Sox finished third in the AL East.
6. Vladimir Guerrero
11 of 17
Believe it or not, there was a time when Vladimir Guerrero was easily one of the most feared hitters in the National League. It seems like such a long time ago thanks to a lengthy stint with the Los Angeles Angels, but when Guerrero was a member of the Montreal Expos, he was one of the best athletes in the game of baseball.
With that said, I'm cheating a bit here too. When I think of Guerrero today, I think of an older guy relegated to the designated hitter's role with shabby knees and limited versatility for a manager. That wasn't always the case. At one point in time, "Vlad" was a very, very good athlete with a cannon for a right arm. He was never fast, but he could steal bases.
For that reason alone, when I think of the guy that plays for the Baltimore Orioles nowadays, looking back on his stats is very interesting. Not only does he own a career slash line of .319/.382/.561 with 437 home runs and climbing, but he did a couple of really, really impressive things on the bases early in his career.
In back-to-back seasons with the Expos in 2001-02, Guerrero stole 37 bases the first year and followed that up by stealing 40 more in 2002. Impressive when you think about Guerrero today, who is the prototypical "slow guy."
5. Gary Sheffield
12 of 17
In polar opposition to my love for Jeromy Burnitz growing up, Gary Sheffield was easily the player that I despised the most growing up, and to this day, I cannot explain why. There's just something about this guy.
That said, if there is one thing you can't take away from him, it's the fact that over the course of his career, he was a great hitter and a great athlete.
He played for a whopping eight teams over the course of his career, and in all reality, he was a productive player on some level wherever he went. In fact, in retrospect, I personally undervalued the success he's had over the course of his career.
After just announcing his retirement this offseason, Sheffield finished his career with a slash line of .292/.393/.514 with 509 home runs. Looking at his numbers alone, he's a sure-fire Hall of Famer in my book. Then again, do we ever look at the numbers alone?
What puts him on this list though? I know you're curious. At various stages during his career, Sheffield wasn't exactly a "slow guy." However, in 2007 with the Detroit Tigers, Sheffield was slow. He was playing in his 20th major-league season and, like other guys on this list, had become a primary designated hitter. To everyone's surprise, however, at 38 years old, Sheffield managed to steal 22 bases in the American League.
4. Rafael Palmeiro
13 of 17
Say what you want about Rafael Palmeiro. Sure, he's caught up in this whole steroid controversy. Sure, he's in a ton of legal trouble and will be for the near future. Sure, he exemplified how poorly All-Stars are selected by making the team while playing almost all of his games as a designated hitter.
With that in mind, however, let's not forget that this article has very little to do with a player's actual offensive results and much more to do with good hitters (which I think we can agree Palmeiro was, naturally) being very, very slow, which he also was. Naturally.
He spent the majority of his career with two teams—the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers—where he spent two stints each. He blasted 569 home runs over the course of his 20-season career and posted a slash line of .288/.371/.515.
He was also very, very slow—in case you didn't get the message. Looking over his stats, I fully expected him to never steal more than nine bases in a single season. Lo and behold, in 1993, Palmeiro managed to swipe 22 bases as a member of the Rangers. I think I've said enough there.
3. Mike Schmidt
14 of 17
I talked a lot about Mike Schmidt in a recent piece where I named the Philadelphia Phillies all-time defensive unit. In that piece, I talked a bit about how Schmidt's offensive prowess sort of covered the extent of just how good he was defensively.
By the same token, he was a great overall athlete and more than just a power threat. He had the wherewithal to create havoc on the basepaths without having great speed.
One of the few Phillies to have his number retired, Michael Jack truly was the greatest Phillie of all time. The three-time MVP put up some numbers that a lot of current players can only dream of, including a slash line of .267/.380/.527 and 548 career home runs.
What I found impressive in regards to this article was that Schmidt was a pretty decent baserunner, especially early in his career. In 1974-75, Schmidt stole 23 and 29 bases in back-to-back seasons. Not bad numbers for a guy who was only supposed to hit bombs and strike out.
2. Mickey Mantle
15 of 17
Mickey Mantle was one of the most feared hitters of all time, short and simple. The lifetime New York Yankee once hit 52 home runs in a single season. In his career, he blasted a total of 536 home runs—the 16th-most of all time.
For those of you who believe he was a one-trick pony—think again. This man could do it all.
He even stole some bases in the thick of his career, though that wasn't exactly his forte. In spite of his small 5'11", 195-lb. frame, "The Mick" made his money at the plate—not on the bases. In 18 major-league seasons, he posted a slash line of .298/.421/.557.
Now don't take this the wrong way—Mantle could run. That said, he wasn't your prototypical base stealer, and when he nabbed 21 bases in 1959, it was rather impressive.
1. Babe Ruth
16 of 17
Okay, so nobody's perfect, and like Rich Stowe (thanks!) pointed out below, I somehow left Babe Ruth off of the original list. Like I explained in a comment, when you think of great hitters that were slow runners, Ruth is one of the first guys that comes to mind. Same was the case here. When I looked at his stats, I kind of confused myself into narrowing down the slide show to only include slow players who've had but one stellar, surprising base running season. As I realized that those parameters were too narrow and I wasn't going to be able to fill out a list, I forgot Ruth. By that time, I had looked into the stats of more than 100 of the game's all-time leaders, and he became and afterthought.
So as I added guys like Vladimir Guerrero, who was an okay base runner with a truly stellar season, it became unfair to leave Ruth off, and had I realized it before the slide show was published, I would have added him back in. Luckily, there is an edit button, and justice is now served.
I don't think that I need to give you a convincing argument on Ruth's credentials. Not only was he good enough to curse an entire franchise (end sarcasm), but he's the all time leader in slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+. He retired with a career slash line of .342 / .474 / .690, and 714 home runs—now third most all time, but first in the hearts of many fans.
Somehow, he managed to swipe quite a few bases over the course of his career. He stole 17 bases in a single season twice, and two more times finished with double digits in stolen bases. I know, it baffles my mind as well.
So If These Guys Were in a Foot Race, Who Would Win?
17 of 17
When you think about it, does it really matter?
While you contemplate the winner of the foot race, let me know what you thought about the slideshow in the comments section. With a list like this, there are bound to be great, slow hitters left out in the cold. Let me know who you think deserves an honorable mention!
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
