After stealing only 3 bases in all of 2012, Peter Bourjos met that mark in the past ten games. It seems as though his hamstring is just fine,and despite hitting in the bottom of the lineup for the Angels, he is producing runs. More importantly for the purpose of this column, he appears to have the green light and hasn’t been caught stealing yet, either. If you’d like, we can pretend that last year never happened and just look at his 22 steals in 147 games back in 2011 to get an idea of what he might be able to pull off the rest of this season. Last week, I pointed to the fact that I’d rather roster a leadoff hitter when looking for steals, at which point Cholly Manuel promptly shoved Ben Revere into the seventh spot in the Phillies’ lineup and he stole 3, count’em 3 bags. Thanks for proving my point, Cholly! So lineup position be damned, feel free to ride Bourjos to SAGNOF glory. He’ll draw the Tigers and Astros this week. While you’re here, check out some of this week’s other available speedsters.
GREEN LIGHT SPECIAL! Rajai Davis
(Last Week: 3 SB, This Week: @TB, @BOS, Owned: 4%)
Mr. Davis has now accumulated 14 SB in just 105 AB in 2013. Since returning from the DL, he has hit .375 with 6 steals. Whether he plays in a platoon or not, he can contribute to your fantasy team with his speed, and if there was ever a week to give him a go, this would be it. The Rays have allowed the second most steals in all of baseball while the Red Sox are tied for fourth. Davis will see 7 games against these two teams this week. If he steals less than 3 bases with those match-ups I will eat my hat.
Gregor Blanco – (Last Week: 2 SB, This Week: @LAD,@COL, Owned: 14%)
Angel Pagan will likely be out longer than originally expected, and Blanco has already shown he can handle the job as the Giants’ leadoff hitter and centerfielder in his absence, recording at least one hit in every game last week.
Leonys Martin – (Last Week: 3 SB, This Week: @NYY, CIN, Owned: 12%)
If his 9-game hitting streak and 3 steals in the past week weren’t reason enough to grab him, Craig Gentry was placed on the DL, opening the door to even more at-bats for Martin. He’s got two tough match-ups this week from a steals perspective, but it’s hard not to like him in Arlington no matter who the opponent is.
Jarrod Dyson – (Last Week: 2 SB (2 Games), This Week: ATL,@MIN, Owned: 1%)
Dyson returned from the DL this past weekend, promptly stealing a base in a pinch run situation on Saturday and getting the slam & legs on Sunday. The Royals optioned Chris Getz to AAA to make room for Dyson and they figure to play him more often than not, whether it’s as a leadoff hitter or in the nine-hole. I recommended him last week as a spec pickup while on the DL, but it’s all systems go for the speedster at this point. He’s got two tough teams to run against this week, so it will be interesting to see if he can still swipe a few bags.
Elliot Johnson – (Last Week: 1 SB, This Week: ATL, @MIN, Owned: 3%)
Johnson doesn’t have the flat out speed of Dyson, but he will also benefit from the demotion of Getz, as he was in a platoon situation prior to that (I coined the name Chrelliot Jetzon when they were together). Don’t love the match-ups this week and he’s hit under .200 since my last column so he’s just kind of meh.
DJ LeMahieu – (Last Week: 1 SB, This Week: @BOS, NYM, SF Owned: 4%)
LeMahieu has been a pleasant surprise in the stolen base category with 9 on the year. He’s also got a little 6-game hit streak going for himself. He’s an interesting option at least for the favorable match-up in Boston.
Pedro Ciriaco – (Last Week: 3 SB, This Week: PHI, @MIA, Owned: 2%)
Ciriaco will be filling in for Everth Cabrera while the Man of Steal (am I the first to call him that? If I am I’d like to claim it) is on the DL, and apparently Cabrera left behind a magic potion in his locker for Pedro, with 3 steals over his last 7 games. He’s got a good match-up against the Phils to begin the week. Nights like last Thursday, when he went 2 for 4 with a triple, a homer, and a steal are probably the exception to the rule, however.
Eric Young – (Last Week: 0 SB, This Week: @CWS, @COL, WSH Owned: 1%)
SAGNOF is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. In Colorado, EY2 was just a fourth outfielder struggling to find playing time, maybe even under-appreciated as a hitter. In New York, he’s suddenly a spark plug leadoff man! It’s great to see the guy hitting well and playing every day for the Mets, but for getting on base as much as he did this past week, he still didn’t steal any bags and since that’s what we’re all about in this column, it’s a little concerning.
Teams highlighted in green are in the top ten for most stolen bases allowed.
Teams highlighted in red are in the top ten for least stolen bases allowed.
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