“I feel the need for speed.”

It’s the famous Tom Cruise line from Top Gun and it is finding its way back into the baseball vernacular. The steroid era and the love of all things home run put baseball’s attention squarely on the highlight reel hits and detracted from stolen bases. Now, with the advent of the pitch clock, the three disengagement rule, and slightly larger bases, which give runners just an extra split second head start, speed is becoming more of a commodity again in baseball.

In 2021, the Kansas City Royals led the majors with 124 stolen bases. The next season, the Texas Rangers stole 128 bases to lead all of baseball. In 2023, with the implementation of the disengagement rule – on the third disengagement, a pitcher either has to get the runner out or it is a balk – the numbers jumped as the Cincinnati Reds led the majors with 190 steals and they currently lead baseball with 130 stolen bases roughly halfway through the season. The league leading total put up by the Rangers just two seasons ago has been eclipsed by 12 other teams since then.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have stolen 106 bases this season, which is good enough for ninth in all of Triple-A baseball. In 2021, the ‘Pigs swiped a total of 81 bases and were 19th in Triple-A. That number jumped to 152 in 2022 and 180 last season when the IronPigs were seventh in all of Triple-A in stealing bags. The Phillies have pushed their stolen base numbers from 77 in 2021 to 93 so far this season, good enough for fourth in all of baseball, as they have become one of the teams looking to take advantage of the return to speed on the basepaths.

Outfielder Cal Stevenson is looking for a way back to the majors and last week he showed what he can do on the basepaths when he set a franchise record for stolen bases in a game by stealing five bases against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The 27-year-old now has 21 stolen bases this season to lead the team and four other players – Weston Wilson (13), Jordan Luplow (12), Scott Kingery (11), and Matt Kroon (11) - have double-digit steals to their credit. While the stolen base numbers are good, the problem is that none of those players are generally thought of as future Phillies stars.

Top prospect Aidan Miller has stolen 13 bases in 59 games this season between Clearwater and Jersey Shore, but he has struggled at the plate with Jersey Shore where he is batting .171 in 20 games. You know the old adage that you can’t steal first base, so Miller’s opportunities have been limited. Another top prospect, Justin Crawford, has 26 steals in 68 games with Jersey Shore as he continues to impress scouts and fans, batting .294 with six home runs and 35 RBI while playing stellar defense in the outfield.

As teams jockey to produce base stealers, the Phillies are doing OK, but need to find more speedsters who can learn the art of stealing bases and put their speed to good use as they climb the minor league ladder.

DID YOU KNOW?... Buddy Kennedy, who has five home runs, 16 RBI, and is batting .333 in 22 games with the IronPigs has a Phillies connection. Kennedy is the grandson of former Phillies infielder Don Money, who started his MLB career with the Phillies in 1968. Money played with the Phillies for five seasons before being dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers. Actually, Money was involved in two trades with the Phillies, the first being when they acquired Money, Woodie Fryman, and two other players for Jim Bunning in 1967 and then when they shipped him to Milwaukee with Bill Champion and John Vukovich to obtain pitchers Ken Brett and Jim Lonborg.

HOME AGAIN… After a short trip to Scranton for three games against the RailRiders, Lehigh Valley had two days off and open a series at home against Buffalo, who will be in town all week. With the trade deadline approaching, don’t be surprised to see more scouts sitting behind home plate with radar guns. The Phillies are actively seeking some help in the outfield and possibly at a couple other positions and figure to be active in the trade market.

MAYBE THERE’S SOMETHING TO IT… After criticizing the minor league split-season format last week, it’s worth noting that the 34-39 IronPigs of the first half, who finished ninth in the 10 team International League East, are 8-4 and in second place in the second half. Plus, Scranton, 43-31 in the first half, is 4-7 in the second half.