Base Stealing Opinion Thread

[brianod]

Rickey Henderson was probably the best baseball player that we have seen. It was not all about his stolen bases.

Certainly a hall of famer but I'll take Bonds and won't look back.

[weams]

Certainly a hall of famer but I'll take Bonds and won't look back.

I dismiss the known cheaters. Bonds with no steroids was no Rickey. Now, I might go Robinson. I might go Mays.

[brianod]

I fully accept uncertainty. It's implicit in everything we do. But you desperately want that uncertainty to be orders of magnitude larger than it really is.

Thank you. I don't desperately want the immeasurables to greatly effect the equation, I simply wanted you to acknowledge they exist and are real. How much they effect the equation is open for debate and depend on the individuals in question.

[weams]

Thank you. I don't desperately want the immeasurables to greatly effect the equation, I simply wanted you to acknowledge they exist and are real. How much they effect the equation is open for debate and depend on the individuals in question.

I think we can all jump aboard that bus.

[Can_of_corn]

I dismiss the known cheaters. Bonds with no steroids was no Rickey. Now, I might go Robinson. I might go Mays.

Don't we know that Mays cheated?

[srock]

Rickey Henderson was probably the best baseball player that we have seen. It was not all about his stolen bases.

Just one of the things he was great at doing.

Its the thing he was BEST at relative to all other players in history.

"Ricky stole 50 at the break"

[DrungoHazewood]

Rickey Henderson was probably the best baseball player that we have seen. It was not all about his stolen bases.

I saw him steal two bases and get caught twice in this game: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1982/B07240BAL1982.htm

[weams]

Just one of the things he was great at doing.

Its the thing he was BEST at relative to all other players in history.

"Ricky stole 50 at the break"

I did not care for his safe stealing percentage myself.

[srock]

Thank you. I don't desperately want the immeasurables to greatly effect the equation, I simply wanted you to acknowledge they exist and are real. How much they effect the equation is open for debate and depend on the individuals in question.

If all this is true, then isn't it also true that immeasurable inputs should be ignored when it comes to tactical and strategic planning?

[weams]

I saw him steal two bases and get caught twice in this game: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1982/B07240BAL1982.htm

That's what I mean. The stealing I guess is fun for some.

[weams]

If all this is true, then isn't it also true that immeasurable inputs should be ignored when it comes to tactical and strategic planning?

You would have to. Otherwise you are dealing in fantasy.

[srock]

I did not care for his safe stealing percentage myself.

With today's data, he would likely attempt less steals. But given the data available during his time, it is understandable. The threshold was lower due to the lack of decent analytics.

[brianod]

I dismiss the known cheaters. Bonds with no steroids was no Rickey. Now, I might go Robinson. I might go Mays.

Depending on how far you want to go back, I would rank them Bonds, Ted Williams, Mantle, Mays, Dimaggio, Aaron, Musial and then Rickey. Frob slightly below Rickey

[DrungoHazewood]

Just one of the things he was great at doing.

Its the thing he was BEST at relative to all other players in history.

"Ricky stole 50 at the break"

If Rickey had been an average baserunner/stealer he would have been a 90-win player. Because 3000 games of a .401 OBP.

[DrungoHazewood]

With today's data, he would likely attempt less steals. But given the data available during his time, it is understandable. The threshold was lower due to the lack of decent analytics.

His first half might be more like the 2nd half of his career. A lot of 60-70 steal seasons with like eight caught.