Stolen Bases Really Aren't That Important

For anyone who's read the fantastic Michael Lewis book Moneyball, or anyone who is remotely sabermetrically inclined, this comes as no surprise. But for the casual fan who isn't up-to-speed on the Billy Beane approach to producing runs (walks, big home runs, and limited stolen base attempts), here is a more simplistic look at it. There have been growing concerns around the Padres that pitcher Chris Young (pictured) has been so easy to steal bases off of. In his start on Friday, Young allowed four stolen bases (three to Ichiro) in four attempts. On the season, runners have stolen 15 bases off Young without being caught once, thanks in large part to a slow delivery home. So if that's the case, if baserunners nearly receive a free bag from Young, then how has he been so successful this year, to the point where he's 5-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 53 innings? The answer is simple my friends -- it's because stolen bases hardly matter.

"It's something Greg [Maddux] and I talked about in Spring Training. ... He gave me a stat that less than 20 percent of stolen bases lead to runs and if you have a pretty low opponent's batting average," Young said. "Statistically, you're better off taking your chances getting the hitter out than worrying about the guys stealing bases."

And Greg Maddux is a surefire Hall-of-Famer, so if he tells you to jump off a bridge, then you totally jump. And Chris Young went to Princeton, so whatever he says must be right. Maybe not, but the men make an excellent point. The point is not to say that it's OK to just let baserunners go freely swiping bases whenever they please. The point is that it's more important for a pitcher to make his pitch and concentrate on getting a batter out than hold a runner at the expense of making a poor pitch. And once again my friends, Billy Beane is proven to be a genius.