Baserunning is a fundamental part of the game of baseball. Stealing bases and advancing runners on base can culminate in some exciting outcomes played throughout a team's matchup. That part of the game goes unrecognized at times, but plays out greatly at the Major League level.
The number of stolen bases from the greats of Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock will forever be enshrined in the great game of baseball for the sheer number of bases snagged through their long, successful careers. In an attempt to bolster the running game, MLB implemented the larger bases in 2023 to focus more on the running game as it has dipped in recent history.
Today's base stealers are still apparent, with Phillies speedster shortstop Trea Turner snagging 19 even after missing six weeks of action in 2024. What's even better now is that Statcast has introduced a new baserunning metric that shows how great Turner really is at taking that extra 90 feet.
Phillies' Trea Turner named baserunning MVP thanks to new Statcast metric
Turner has been a menace on the base paths since he debuted in 2015, and it was a major win when they signed him to a long-term deal in 2022. Since 2016, he leads the Major Leagues in stolen bases with 277 at an elite 86 percent stolen base rate.
New Trea Turner slide just dropped. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/FMZV8GykZ6
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2023
Per MLB.com's David Adler, Turner leads all of baseball in the Statcast era (since 2015) in Net Bases Gained (+153), 21 ahead of second-place Billy Hamilton, and has capitalized on his attempts to steal. Turner also leads the Statcast era in Baserunning Runs with 55. This translates well for Turner's ability to take the extra 90 feet and produce more runs with his legs. That puts him ahead of stars such as the Cleveland Guardians' José Ramírez, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts and the Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr.
Leading both of those categories firmly crowns Turner the MVP of baserunning for almost a decade. Phillies' fans were quite familiar with Turner's baserunning work before he came to Philadelphia with his signature effortless slides and his ability to put pressure on opposing pitchers and catchers. He also holds the third-longest MLB consecutive stolen base streak of 41, stretching from September 2022 to April 2024, per MLB.com's Manny Randhawa. Now he gets the true respect he deserves for his baserunning efforts.