stealing 1b?

[Vic Sage]

They're going to try it in the Atlantic League:



https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-will-experiment-with-stealing-first-base-in-atlantic-league-165213306.html?src=rsshttps://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-will-experiment-with-stealing-first-base-in-atlantic-league-165213306.html?src=rss



This seems like an interesting way to counterbalance the diminishment of speed's impact on the game, returning the excitement of baserunning that has gotten lost in the age of analytics. I'm not advocating it, but it's... interesting.

[Benjamin Grimm]

So it really means that a batter can try to take first base on a wild pitch or passed ball. I think I'd still score it as a PB or a WP instead of an SB.

[Frayed Knot]

I've speculated in the past on what the odds might be of a batter being clued in enough to the situation to where he'd intentionally swing at a wild pitch w/2 strikes

in order to have the chance to get onto 1st base. Lots of conditions would have to be right:

-- 2 strikes but not 3-2 and most likely you'd want a 0-2 or maybe 1-2 count

-- 1st base would need to be open or there'd have to be 2 outs (or both) but probably not bases loaded so as to give the defense an easier out at home

-- the pitch would have to be really wild (Juuuuust a bit outside[/uecker]) so you'd KNOW that the catcher wasn't going to get a glove on it

-- and you'd have to have some confidence in your speed and hope that it wasn't an unfriendly bounce.



Not sure if that's ever actually happened, but a quick thinking batter could get himself out of a hole against a good pitcher it he was able to recognize

the situation and savvy enough to pull it off. This rule would add a wrinkle to that where the swing part isn't required, only a good jump.

[Edgy MD]

It's something I think about too. It's probably happened, but if it hasn't, it's certainly less likely to happen now, with significantly shorter distances to the backstop, and more brick façades to make bouncebacks far more common.