Are teams finally realizing the value of a stolen base in relation to the caught stealing? The rule of thumb going back to the hidden game of baseball is that teams needed to swipe successfully two-thirds of the time just to break even in terms of runs. The percentage goes up as runs become more plentiful.

There's a misconception that sabermetricians don't like the stolen base. What they hate is the caught stealing, and too many teams take an undue risk running. So far in 2006, however, that's not the case. Runners are stealing at a 75% clip (77 steals in 102 attempts). Twenty three of the thirty teams are above the 66.7% break even point. The Reds ran the best, with Freel and Lopez combining to make the team 7-0. The Cardinals ran the most, swiping seven in nine tries. And in an effort to show just how little stolen bases do matter, Detroit scored big while stealing just one base in five attempts.

The only team not to attempt a steal was the Pittsburgh Pirates. Maybe a little of DePodesta's logic rubbed off on Tracy after all.