The Need for Speed - Base stealing is back in a major way

If Warner Brothers ever optioned the rights for a New York Mets cartoon, it wouldn’t take them long to find a Roadrunner.

Burning dirt with the efficiency of the feathered speed merchant, Jose Reyes is baseball’s latest bird of prey. With a swipe success rate of 81 percent, the 23-year-old Reyes leads the majors in stolen bases (21) and has emerged as the most infuriating, confounding and damn-near-impossible-to-stop thief in the game.

Terrorizing opposing pitchers into a state of Wile E. Coyote, all that appears to be missing from the Reyes-Roadrunner correlation is the ability to dodge Acme devices and the customary meep-meep.

"When I get a good jump, with my speed...forget it," the Mets' shortstop told MLB.com.

This season, Reyes the Roadrunner is on pace to re-write the record books. His 21 steals through 36 games puts him on pace for 95, which projects to be the highest total since Vince Coleman swiped 109 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987. Already fourth on the Mets' all-time steals list with 175, Reyes will likely be second on that chart by season’s end, putting him in position to reach Mookie Wilson's career mark of 281 steals by his 25th birthday. Not bad for a guy with just 472 major league games to his credit.

While he’s sat atop the National League stolen base list for the past two years, 2007 is quickly shaping up to be Reyes’ breakout season.

Although Reyes frequently displays deft base-running skills, he’s never boasted a high enough on-base percentage to fully utilize them (with a career .329 OBP, Reyes was often viewed as a liability batting leadoff).

This season, he's been helped by a newfound propensity to reach base. His walk total nearly doubled from 2005 to 2006 - and he's on pace to double it yet again this season. His OBP is .415 while he's batting .340 and averaging a run scored per game. To top it off, he was named the National League Player of the Month for April.

Much of Reyes' early success can be attributed to his need for speed. What makes him such a terror on the base paths is his single-mindedness about stealing - he’s maniacal about eating the 90 feet between first and second. To aid in the feeding frenzy, the Mets enlisted the services of Rickey Henderson, who set baseball’s single-season record with 130 stolen bases in 1982. Henderson appeared at Mets Spring Training as a special instructor in each of the past two seasons, tutoring Reyes in an art lost amidst Major League Baseball’s fascination with the long ball.

For most of the 90s, the stolen base went the way of dodo birds, Latin and Oingo Boingo. Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy juiced the nation on 500-foot bombs and Nintendo power numbers. Leadoff hitters and speedsters were reduced to mere distractions while cleanup hitters did the all business and got all the glory. Things got so bad that in 1994 Houston’s Craig Biggio led the NL with 39 steals – the lowest total since 1961, when Maury Wills led the senior circuit with 35.

Reyes is the catalyst for a return to baseball burglary. His contribution to the New York offense – the Mets lead the NL in runs (191) and RBI (180) – is unique given that, historically, he doesn’t wield a big stick or hit for a ridiculously high average. Averaging .290 with 12 HR and 71 RBI over his first four seasons, Reyes still manages to produce an alarming number of runs, largely due to his prowess on the base paths.

He’s currently second behind Alex Rodriguez for the MLB lead in runs (34), while his ability to get on base has proven invaluable for the meat of the Mets lineup - Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green and Carlos Beltran are all on pace to knock in 80 runs or more this season.

Has speed suddenly become cool again? Do chicks no longer dig the long ball? Things would appear to be shaping up this way. Consider the case in Boston, a traditional “masher” team that in 2006 finished dead last in steals (51) and relied on plodding sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz for most of its offense.

This year, the Red Sox are 10th in the majors with 24 swipes, led by Julio Lugo (12) and Coco Crisp (7). At 26-11, Boston is off to the hottest start in the majors, leads baseball in runs scored (205) and appears to have added yet another dimension to an already well-rounded team.

Speed is back, and it’s back in a big way. Roadrunners are wreaking havoc across the majors as stolen base glory has once again been rekindled.

It’s enough to send Wile E. Coyote off a cliff.

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