MLB Rankings: The Best Base Stealers in Each Franchise's History
A great deal of MLB games are decided by a single run, meaning that the difference between a win or a loss can be any one of many small details.
One determining factor in a team's success can be its ability to advance runners on the basepaths.
Speed on the bases is a great asset to have, and while speed itself is valuable, it takes a certain internal ability for players to truly be proficient at swiping bases when needed.
Every franchise has at one point had a stolen base threat who undoubtedly made a difference in games. Here are a few of those players.
New York Yankees: Rickey Henderson
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With 326 stolen bases in five seasons with the New York Yankees, Rickey Henderson currently sits second on the Yankees all-time stolen base list.
Derek Jeter recently passed Henderson to claim his spot atop the list, although it took more than 10 additional seasons to do so.
Chicago White Sox: Eddie Collins
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Eddie Collins is the White Sox all-time leading base stealer. Playing with the team from 1915 through 1926, the Hall of Famer logged 368 stolen bases.
Minnesota Twins: Clyde Milan
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Before moving west to Minnesota, the Senators earned their fair share of successes in Washington.
Clyde Milan stole 495 bases during his tenure with the Senators. His most effective seasons were 1912 and 1913, in which he stole 88 and 75 bases, respectively.
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Detroit Tigers: Ty Cobb
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The history of the Detroit Tigers cannot be discussed without bringing up Ty Cobb's tenacious base running.
In his 22 seasons with the Tigers, he stole a total of 869 bases, and in each of six seasons, he stole more than 50 bases.
His highest total came in 1915, when he stole an astounding 96 bases.
Kansas City Royals: Willie Wilson
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Currently the all-time Royals stolen base leader, Willie Wilson stole a total of 612 bases during his 15-year career in Kansas City.
His total is nearly twice as many as anyone else on the Royals' all-time ranks.
Boston Red Sox: Tris Speaker
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Tris Speaker is currently second on Boston's all-time stolen base list. His total of 267 stolen bases comes up just 33 short of Harry Hooper.
Speaker's total may be lower than Hooper, but he was able to amass his career number in nearly 600 fewer games.
Seattle Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki
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Since coming to Seattle in 2001, Ichiro Suzuki has been the face of the Mariners franchise.
Between his range in the field and ability to get on base, he's certainly a complete player, but his speed may be his best asset.
In 11 seasons with the Mariners, Ichiro has stolen 397 bases and has been caught fewer than 100 times.
Baltimore Orioles: Brady Anderson
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Brady Anderson spent nearly all of his 15-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles.
In 14 seasons with the team, Anderson stole 307 bases and was caught 98 times, good enough for the franchise record in base stealing.
Texas Rangers: Bump Wills
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In five seasons with the Texas Rangers, second baseman Bump Wills stole a total of 161 bases, putting him just ahead of Toby Harrah on the all-time list.
Wills stole at least 30 bases in three of his five seasons with the Rangers.
Tampa Bay Rays: Carl Crawford
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Before heading northward to the rival Red Sox, Carl Crawford spent nine great seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays.
As one of the team's leaders during his tenure, Crawford stole over 400 bases for the Rays, putting him head and shoulders above anyone else on the all-time Rays list.
Cleveland Indians: Kenny Lofton
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During his prime, Kenny Lofton was one of the best stolen base threats in the league. In 10 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, he stole over 450 bases, six times stealing more than 50 bases.
Toronto Blue Jays: Roberto Alomar
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A 2011 inductee into baseball's Hall of Fame, Roberto Alomar spent five productive seasons north of the border with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Alomar stole a total of 206 bases with the team and was caught only 46 times.
Oakland Athletics: Rickey Henderson
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There is no doubt that Rickey Henderson is the greatest base stealer that the game has ever seen. With 1,406 total stolen bases, Henderson is in a league of his own.
Of those stolen bases, 867 came in an Oakland Athletics uniform, where he spent 14 seasons.
Anaheim Angels: Chone Figgins
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Things haven't gone as planned for Chone Figgins since moving to Seattle, but he's surely hoping to return to the form that he displayed while playing for the Angels.
In his eight seasons with the Angels, he stole 289 bases and was caught fewer than 100 times. 2005 was his most productive season, as he stole 62 bases.
Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins
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Having spent his entire career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Jimmy Rollins has been an important part of the team's success in the last few seasons.
His speed on the basepaths is no exception, as he has stolen 357 bases during his tenure with the team.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Honus Wagner
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Honus Wagner spent the first 18 seasons of the last century changing baseball in Pittsburgh.
During his time with the team, he stole a total of 723 bases, putting him alone atop the team's all-time list.
Cincinnati Reds: Joe Morgan
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Joe Morgan is one of the most recognizable faces in the Cincinnati Reds history books.
The Hall of Famer stole 406 bases in his eight seasons with the Reds, a vast improvement from his nine previous seasons with the Astros, in which he stole only 219 bases.
Colorado Rockies: Eric Young
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Eric Young may not be in the speediest company on the Rockies all-time stolen base list, but he's certainly on top.
With 180 stolen bases, Young finds himself ahead of Dante Bichette and Larry Walker on Colorado's list.
San Diego Padres: Tony Gwynn
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Tony Gwynn is one of the best ever to put on a uniform for the San Diego Padres. He might have been known best for his ability to get on base, but when on base, he did show some flashes of speed.
In his time with the Padres, Gwynn stole a total of 319 bases.
Washington Nationals: Tim Raines
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The franchise no longer calls Montreal home, but its history can't be forgotten.
In 13 seasons with the Expos, Tim Raines stole 635 bases in 741 attempts, putting him on top of the franchise's all-time list, well ahead of Marquis Grissom.
New York Mets: Jose Reyes
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The New York Mets have been in the media for all of the wrong reasons as of late, and to top it all off, they may be losing one of their speediest assets to go along with it.
Jose Reyes has spent the better part of the past decade with the Mets, and during that time has stolen 350 bases for the team. That speed will be missed if he does end up departing from New York.
Florida Marlins: Luis Castillo
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Some great names grace the all-time stolen base ranks for the Florida Marlins.
Cliff Floyd, Juan Pierre and Hanley Ramirez are all good players, but with 281 stolen bases for the Marlins, Luis Castillo sits atop the list.
Chicago Cubs: Frank Chance
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Frank Chance spent 15 seasons with the Chicago Cubs in the early part of the 20th century, stealing over 400 bases in 1,275 games with the team.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Tony Womack
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Tony Womack spent time with seven teams in baseball, but his longest term was with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
During his five seasons in Arizona, Womack stole 182 bases and was caught stealing only 46 times.
L.A. Dodgers: Davey Lopes
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Davey Lopes remained known in baseball well after his playing days. Currently coaching with his former team, Lopes is back where it all began.
Lopes averaged 42 stolen bases per season during his 10 years in Los Angeles and finished his career with a total of 557 stolen bases.
San Francisco Giants: Mike Tiernan
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Mike Tiernan's entire playing career took place before the turn of the 20th century.
The New York Giants outfielder still holds the franchise lead in stolen bases to this day, as he stole 428 bases during his 13-year career.
St. Louis Cardinals: Lou Brock
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With 938 career stolen bases, Lou Brock is one of the all-time leaders in the category. With respect to the St. Louis Cardinals, he's in a category of his own.
His 888 stolen bases with the team are more than 300 better than the next best Cardinal, Vince Coleman.
Milwaukee Brewers: Paul Molitor
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Paul Molitor spent 15 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and was selected to five All-Star games during that time.
Another asset that Molitor had in his pocket was speed, as Molitor stole 412 of his 504 career stolen bases in a Brewers uniform.
Atlanta Braves: Herman Long
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During the franchise's time in Boston when they were known as the Beaneaters, Herman Long plodded his way along the basepaths to the tune of 434 stolen bases during 13 years with the team.
Houston Astros: Craig Biggio
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Cesar Cedeno spent 12 seasons with the Astros during the '70s and '80s, and during that span managed to steal 487 bases for the team.
He sits just ahead of Astro great Craig Biggio, who finished 73 stolen bases short of the record, even though he played for the team for nearly twice as long.
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