The current active leader in career stolen bases in Major League Baseball is shortstop Elvin Andrus, most recently of the Chicago White Sox. Including the 2 stolen bases he’s collected in the 2023 season so far, his career total is 337. He is 34 years old and has played 15 seasons, so his yearly average for stolen bases is about 22.5. In order to become the all-time stolen base leader in Major League Baseball, he would have to maintain that pace and play another 48 years, until the youthful age of 82 years old. No offense to Mr. Andrus, but I find this unlikely.
The only stolen base king Major League Baseball will EVER know from this point forward is Rickey Henderson, who stole 1406 stolen bases from 1979-2003.
How untouchable is this number? Well, the average MLB career is a little less than 6 seasons. Rickey Henderson played 24 seasons, which is ridiculous. He swiped 20 or more stolen bases for 23 consecutive seasons, until the age of 42. I had a hard time opening the pickle jar at 42. And I’d like to point out that Rickey didn’t slide feet first… he launched toward the eventual stolen base headfirst, diving and crashing a few feet before the base and grinding to a stop. Go ahead and replicate this maneuver 1406 times and tell me how you feel.
The most recent season stolen base leader is John Berti, who stole 41 bases for the Florida Marlins in 2022. That pushed his career total to a whopping 78 stolen bases, so Rickey’s record is safe from Mr. Berti. In fact, a player could come along and steal an average of 60 bases a year for 22 years, and Rickey Henderson would still be the career leader. He’s 468 stolen bases ahead of 2nd place Lou Brock. Again, the current active career leader has 337. The numbers just jump out at you.
Sports numbers are difficult to measure. They vary from generation to generation. From the volume of 3-pointers in basketball, to the passing game in football, to the baserunning game in baseball, all sports change. Yes, the game of baseball has changed. Pitchers don’t go into the later innings, home runs and strikeouts are up, stolen bases are down, and a runner magically appears on 2nd base in extra innings. Because of this, some numbers will never be surpassed, or even approached, with 1406 career stolen bases being near the top of the list. If you want to see REAL baseball, go watch Rickey Henderson in the early 80’s, diving headfirst into one of his 1406 stolen bases ala Pete Rose.