Sometimes things happen and I get curious and that is how this story goes. I really like history, so the search goes on. I was checking John McInerney and his stats when I noticed he had 168 stolen bases already. No surprise really but I got to wondering who had the most stolen bases in a Met uniform, of course that escalated in the end.
So the search started, what I did find out was somewhat amazing. I found out that his last stolen base put him fourth all-time for a Met in that department. I looked at the list and went, WOW!, startled the old lady even. Tony Duran is actually the Mets stolen base leader with 863 thefts. Matter of fact he leads the World in that department. I was actually surprised. Is he HOF material? I really think so on that aspect alone, but his resume other than that is pretty bleak. Marshall Hunter is second on the list with 785 thefts. Marshall could have been the all time Theft King but his sudden anemic hitting left him out in the cold in season 20 or maybe it was greed. Louis Hiljus is third on the list with 759. It looks like a trip to the DL and his poor glove work ended his career early as he had a chance to be Number 1 all-time. He does hold the theft percentages as he only got caught 34 times.
So, is there anyone that could actually vie for a shot at all-time Theft King? Not exactly sure but a little research shows that Jeff Kline leads the majors this season and has done superb job the past few seasons. But alas, his age and and not so hot hitting style will probably leave him in the top 10 when his career ends. Second on the list is Stephen Henley. With 608 stolen bases and counting already, very good hitting abilities and only 30 years old, could very possibly be sitting on the throne before his career ends.
For the most part, a lot of stolen bases occurred in Seasons 9-12. It didn't matter what kind of catcher you had, short of a land mine in the sliding pit, anybody with any ability at stolen bases wasn't going to be stopped. That is why these guys aren't considered HOF material. Here ends a history lesson in Thievery 101.
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