For the last three seasons we’ve been spoiled by the speed of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright. The Mets were among the league leaders each season in stolen bases, and speed was a big part of our game.
But so far this season, the team’s stolen bases are down and not where we expected.
Currently, the Mets have 5 stolen bases and have been caught 4 times after 12 games. When you compare that to some of the other teams, you’ll see that the Mets find themselves in the lower tier of the stolen base ranks.
With 19 stolen bases and only one caught stealing, the Tampa Bay Rays are clearly the leaders in stolen bases. They are followed by the Los Angeles Angels who have 17, the Texas Rangers who have swiped 14, and the Los Angeles Dodgers who have stolen 12.
Overall, the Mets are tied for 20th with three other teams.
Jose Reyes has gotten off to a slow start with just three swipes in 12 games, a pace that will put him at 40 stolen bases this season, his lowest total in five seasons.
Sometimes a drop off in stolen bases can be symptomatic of not getting on base, but the Mets are actually ahead of last season for the same period in batting average and on-base percentage.
I’m sure things will pick up at some point, but it’s just another facet of the Mets game that seems to be a little off right now.
