With changes to the sizes of the bases and how often pitchers can throw over, we certainly are seeing what Major League Baseball wanted: More people running. The stolen base has come back to baseball in a big way and we are seeing more and more athleticism in the sport.
No one is taking advantage of the new rules more than Oakland Athletics speedster Esteury Ruiz. He was fast even before the rule changes, but with those? He's the most dominant base stealer in the sport. He's putting up stolen base numbers we haven't seen in some time, as evidenced by statmuse on Twitter:
Esteury Ruiz leads MLB with 27 stolen bases in just 54 games. Last season’s stolen base leader didn’t steal his 27th bag until July 10th.
While the A's are on track to be the worst team in baseball history at 10-44, Ruiz has given them a major jolt and has become a reason to watch.
Oakland acquired him in a trade this offseason with the Brewers and Braves. He was part of the trade that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta and William Contreras to Milwaukee.
In addition to his ability to run, he's also flashed some decent pure hitting ability. Hitting at the top of the A's order, he's out to a .268 start with one homer and 22 RBI.
He made his debut in 2022 with the Padres and is a lifetime .254 hitter. The Athletics will take on the Houston Astros on Sunday at 4:07 p.m. ET.
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