JAWS and the 2024 Hall of Fame Ballot: Brandon Phillips fangraphs.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fangraphs.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
in previous editions.
As home run totals continue to rise around the league, the stolen base has become an afterthought. After all, why risk getting thrown out trying to run to second or third base when you can wait for the opportunity to jog all the way to home plate?
The last time Major League teams combined to steal 3,500 bases in a season was 1987, when the league totaled 3,648 swipes. The last campaign with at least 3,000 steals was more recent 3,229 steals in 2012, a marked increase over the totals from the first half-dozen seasons of the 21st century. Those years featured consistent totals in the low-to-mid 2,000s. After the 2012 spike, stolen bases cratered to 2,693 in 2013 and haven t sniffed 3,000 since.
The path of a relief pitcher is one of the most volatile in all of professional sports.
Todd Williams’ career perfectly illustrates the tumultuous nature of that bullpen life. If his name rings a bell, it’s probably because he was on the unfortunate side of a moment that s become part of baseball lore. While pitching for the Orioles against the Marlins on June 22, 2006, Williams tried to issue an intentional walk to Miguel Cabrera but tossed a pitch too close to the plate. The budding superstar ripped an RBI single into the outfield.
But that’s not the start or the end of Williams’ story in baseball. The right-hander enjoyed an 18-year career with 16 Minor League seasons and retired with 223 saves, a modern Minor League record. A four-time Rolaids Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year recipient, he accomplished much more in his career than he s typically recognized for.