Matt Stairs, Who Has Slimmed Down 36 Pounds From A Year Ago in Philly, and The Padres Are Running Wild This Spring
PEORIA, Ariz. — Matt Stairs glanced up at the television from his locker room stall because he had heard his name. Moments later, he saw himself in action.
The highlight clip was from nearly two years ago when Stairs was with the Toronto Blue Jays, and it showed him doing something Matt Stairs rarely does — which is to steal a base. The announcers cackled some, his Padre teammates in the clubhouse laughed, and Stairs — now 42 years of age — creased a rankled smile.
“Yeah, that’s very funny,” he said. The reason the MLB network had chosen to dig through the video archives was because Stairs had stolen a base the previous afternoon here in a Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. “I’m trying to do everything I can to make this team. And the way these guys are running this spring, I figured I’d better get with the program.”
Beep. Beep. It’s true. Stairs is hardly the only Padre on the run in the spring training. The Friars stole six bases in all against the Angels on Tuesday and had five thefts the night before against San Francisco. Heading into Wednesday’s exhibition game against Kansas City, the Padres had pilfered more spring training bags (26) than any other team in baseball.
So what in the name of Carl Lewis is going on around here? The plodding and plundering Padres, who never run (unless it’s back to the dugout after making an out), who never take chances, who never push the issue, are — what? — all of a sudden daring?
“It’s something that we’ve really stressed this spring,” said oufielder Will Venable, who tried only seven steals last season but was successful on six of them. “We need to be aggressive not only stealing bases, but on the bases in general. Going from first to third, stuff like that. With the ballpark we play in, it’s important for us be able to manufacture some runs.”
Pardon me for a moment here while I say — hallelujah!!
You mean, after all these seasons of watching long fly balls die short of the warning track at spacious Petco Park, the Padres have finally realized that they’re going to need to use the running game to create offense? As the saying goes, better late than never.
Last season, while once again boasting one of the poorest offenses in the Major Leagues, the Padres ranked 20th in baseball with 82 steals. By comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays led the Majors with 194. While it’s true that all the running didn’t help Tampa return to the postseason, it should also be noted that success on the basepaths definitely does translate into success in the standings.
For proof, know this: The Philadelphia Phillies ranked first in all of baseball a year ago with an 81-percent success rate on stolen bases. The New York Yankees (80-percent) ranked third. Seems to me I recall it was a Phillies-Yankees World Series matchup that concluded last season. Just running as opposed to running successfully is the key here, but running successfully is something the Padres actually did a year ago.
Though their 82 steals ranked 20th, their 74-percent success rate ranked a solid eighth. What those rankings tell me is that the Padres simply didn’t try to run enough last season.
“Obviously, you’ve got to get on base before you can run,” Padres Manager Bud Black said. “If we get on more this year, we’ll run more.”
But do the Padres have the players who can run? Last season, shortstop Everth Cabrera led the team with 25 steals while Tony Gwynn (11) and Chase Headley (10) were the only other Friars to reach double-figures. A closer look, however, reveals that the Padres could benefit greatly by continuing their spring baserunning antics once the regular season gets underway.
Headley has just 10 steals, but he only tried 12 times. That’s an 83-percent success rate. Scott Hairston, who has returned after a half-season stay in Oakland, was eight-for-nine last season (89-percent). Venable, as noted earlier, went six-for-seven (86-percent). Even catcher Nick Hundley was five-for-six (83-percent). Jerry Hairston, signed as a free agent, is another guy who has had success running in the past.
The only Padre whose percentage needs to improve is Gwynn, who needed 18 tries to get his 11 bags last season (61-percent). To that end, Gwynn has been working plenty this spring with former Padres outfielder Dave Roberts, who only recorded perhaps the most famous stolen base in baseball history in Game 4 of the 2004 AL Championship Series while with the Red Sox against the Yankees.
“Stealing, of course, is not just about speed,” Gwynn said. “There’s so much to learn about the pitchers and what they like to do. You want to pick the right pitches to run on. With Dave’s experience, I’ve picked up a lot from him.”
The other side to the stolen base, as everyone knows, is the caught-stealing, which can be an inning-ender. But if the Padres can run more in 2010 and keep their success percentage up around where it was last season, it’s a veritable certainty that the team will score more runs. Cabrera and Gwynn should both be in the 30’s this season, while it’s not a stretch to think that Headley, Venable and both Hairston’s could reach the 20’s.
Stairs, slimmed down 36 pounds from a year ago with the Phillies, might even be able to continue to join in the fun. And what fun it would be to see the Padres run, run, run themselves into contention.
– Ello
Craig Elsten -
Chainsaw -
