As an aside, in the 9th inning of last night’s ALDS game, the Yankees used not one but two pinch runners, substituting Bellhorn and Womack for Giambi and Sheffield after the latter 2 got hits. They knew that without at least 2 runs home they wouldn’t be needing any more hitting until next April - which turned out to be the case.
Lou Brock said he actually liked to play against left-handed pitchers, because he could see everything they were doing. He thought his ability to stare at them was a greater advantage than their ability to stare at him. So the 2nd place all-time steals leader thinks judgement call necessary for steals is very important.
This reminds me - is there any reason why, after an attempted pickoff, the first baseman can’t ‘fake’ returning the ball to the pitcher, then tag the runner if they resume position off-base? Is there some rule covering this? If the preceding scenario doesn’t work, there must be some other ‘sleight of hand’ whereby the runner could be tricked off-base.
The old hidden ball trick. 231 confirmed executions since 1876. Only 6 in the last decade.
That list needs to be updated.
It has the last hidden ball episode as Florida third baseman Mike Lowell putting out Montreal’s Brian Schneider last September.
Well, Lowell executed the play successfully again in August this year, with the victim this time being Arizona’s Luis Terrero.
In Deion Sander’s case he was basically a (slightly sub-world class) sprinter with enough just enough baseball skill to get by in the major’s. He certainly wasn’t a great hitter .263 lifetime with a lot of those points bought by speed sprinting to first. Add in all the stolen bases,(and he was only around 75%) and the ground he could cover in the outfield, and he was a competant player. The amazing speed was the entire basis for his baseball career.
I read all the previous posts on the OP’s question. Two things that no one has mentioned, and these are quite germane to the discussion, are the pitchout and the pickoff. If a team expects a player to run (and this is especially true when a speedy pinch runner is sent into the game), the manager can call for a pitchout, and this can seriously cut into the success rate of a steal attempt. A good pitcher has a good pickoff move, and this will not only prevent steals, but can result in easy outs. The combination of a pitcher with a good pickoff move and a manager who has the instincts for calling a timely pitchout can be deadly for any base stealer. Given all this, and the fact that no steal attempt is a sure thing, to have a player on the roster with speed as his only asset is hardly worth it.
To further answer your question, you don’t see this much because the rules require the pitcher to have the ball in his possession before he steps on or astride the rubber. (Rule 8.05i.) A baserunner should know not to lead off the base until the pitcher gets into position.
My grandfather hated Deion Sanders. I think it was mostly that he’d play football during the baseball playoffs. Frankly, I never thought Sanders was a great baseball player and I’m not sure he was all that great a corner either.
This kinda reminds me of Jose Offerman. He was not a bad hitter and really fast but a pretty lousy shortstop. I swear that you could count on him making at least one throwing error a game when he was in Albuquerque and the last few times I’ve seen him play in the majors he still overthrows the first baseman.
Rickey Henderson, the best base stealer ever, used to say there was only one catcher he feared: Bob Boone, who was a rather old guy by the time Rickey was in his prime. Rickey said the veteran Boone was the only catcher who could almost ALWAYS tell when Rickey was going, and was ready to nail him.
Presumably, Rickey was doing SOMETHING that gave a signal as to when he was planning to steal. and a sly veteran like Boone (but few others) could see it. I’m STILL not sure what it was myself, and if Rickey ever figured it out, he never told anyone what it was.
Jose Offerman didn’t overthrow the first baseman much in his final years in the majors because he finally was moved to first base. Jose Offerman was once 0 for 8 in stolen base attempts in one season (2000). Dodgers infielder Oscar Robles was 0 for 8 in stolen base attempts this year also.
Very much so; no discussion of the hidden ball trick can be without reference to Marty Barrett, the best at it in the last 30 years. He pulled it once or twice a year.
Boy, that would be a sight.
I’m not saying such a player DOES exist. I’m saying he might be useful if he did.