Saturday, September 1, 2007

A no risk steal situation

There are times when a steal becomes more of a risk than at other times. One time where you really have nothing to lose is when the batter in the box runs a very disadvantaged count.

Here is what I'm talking about. With two outs and a man on 1st base, the runner is thinking can I possibly take 2nd base with a steal. Many times when the count goes 0-2, 1-2 on the batter it becomes a very prudent play to attempt to steal the bag. Worst case scenario is the runner gets thrown out and the batter leads off with a new count.

The big caveat to this is you must be aware of where you are in the batting order. You do not want to run with the 9 hitter in the box. The steal in this situation is a no risk situation if the batter in the box is a quality hitter who would be a good option to lead off the next inning.

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