While aggressiveness has placed the Blue Jays second in the American League in steals, should certain players be given the red light? It appears there have been quite a few outs made on the basepaths.
-- April W., Halifax, Nova Scotia
One of manager John Farrell's top priorities this season was to implement an aggressive running game but there's not much arguing there are both pros and cons to this approach.
Farrell believes that type of attack keeps opposing pitchers on edge whenever there is a runner on base. That could lead to a mislocated pitch and chances of increased success at the plate. It also potentially creates holes on the field that hitters can take advantage of.
The obvious danger is running into unnecessary outs. The club currently ranks second in the AL with 33 stolen bases, but also has been caught stealing 10 times. That's third most in the league, while the Blue Jays' overall success rate ranks fifth at 77 percent.
Rajai Davis and Corey Patterson will continue to have free reign on the basepaths, and Jose Bautista and Yunel Escobar also will be encouraged to run. The rest of the roster is composed of players who rely mostly on direction from the coaching staff.
A perfect example occurred during Saturday's game against the Yankees, with Juan Rivera at second base and Edwin Encarnacion at the plate. Farrell felt right-hander A.J. Burnett had been predictable in two-strike counts all afternoon by almost exclusively throwing his curveball.
That created a scenario in which Rivera could steal third, and Farrell decided to put the runner in motion. Burnett ended up throwing a fastball, and Rivera was thrown out to end the inning. Those are the type of gambles the club is expected to make all season.
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