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Mark Laird - Stolen Bases
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:07 am
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:07 am
Granted I haven't been able to watch every game this season, but one stat that I'm curious about is that Mark Laird only has 1 stolen base on 3 attempts.
He has 23 singles and has walked 8 times...but has only attempted 3 steals on the season. Sure, I know sometimes there are runners in front of him, but if he is the fastest guy on the field I would have expected more in this area.
What do you attribute the lack of aggressive baserunning with Laird?
He has 23 singles and has walked 8 times...but has only attempted 3 steals on the season. Sure, I know sometimes there are runners in front of him, but if he is the fastest guy on the field I would have expected more in this area.
What do you attribute the lack of aggressive baserunning with Laird?
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:10 am to sportsfan
I have wondered the same thing
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:10 am to sportsfan
because he has bregman, rhymes, and katz hitting behind him. with the way those guys hit doubles, laird is already in scoring position at first with those guys up.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:11 am to sportsfan
He's fast but not very good at stealing bases. They said they were working with him on that. I guess he doesn't get a good jump.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:12 am to TheGodfather
quote:
with the way those guys hit doubles, laird is already in scoring position at first with those guys up.
Exactly. He doesn't necessarily need to be aggressive on the base paths. Dude has blazing speed though.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:12 am to sportsfan
He's really fast but he's not a very good base runner right now. He seems to have trouble reading pitchers. He's a true freshman, he will only get better.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:15 am to TheGodfather
I have wondered this myself but def agree with TheGodfather. I have noticed that Laird does not have the best instincts on the base paths in terms of reading pitchers moves and getting a good jump. Dude clearly has wheels. I think you will see more SB attempts in time as he gets more comfortable/improves getting a good jump. Just my bleacher analysis.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:16 am to TheGodfather
quote:
because he has bregman, rhymes, and katz hitting behind him. with the way those guys hit doubles, laird is already in scoring position at first with those guys up.
That was my first thought, no point in taking the bat or RBI opportunity away from those guys. If they start cooling off at the plate, maybe we will see a few more steal attempts.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:17 am to Broham
quote:
He's fast but not very good at stealing bases. They said they were working with him on that. I guess he doesn't get a good jump.
The games I have watched, his lead is very short and he doesn't even look like he wants to steal. Something that can easily be corrected with a little coaching.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:19 am to sportsfan
I've watched him last weekend and last night and it's clear he has not learned how to read pitchers yet.
When he's on first almost every time the pitcher starts his motion, Laird heads back towards the bag. Then he realizes the pitcher is going home with the pitch and Laird takes a few steps towards second base.
He will learn.
When he's on first almost every time the pitcher starts his motion, Laird heads back towards the bag. Then he realizes the pitcher is going home with the pitch and Laird takes a few steps towards second base.
He will learn.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:21 am to sportsfan
quote:
taking the bat or RBI opportunity away from those guys
You aren't taking away an RBI opportunity away when he is standing on first base. As a couple others pointed out he isn't great at stealing bases. That takes work. Speed doesn't always translate to stealing bases. He will get better for sure.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:22 am to sportsfan
Javi will coach him up on the basepaths
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:22 am to LSURussian
Yea 17 games into his career i'd say he's doing just fine. Regardless of what base he's on, he will score when Katz goes yard.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:23 am to harry coleman beast
quote:
Regardless of what base he's on, he will score when Katz goes yard.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:24 am to PurpleAndGold86
quote:
You aren't taking away an RBI opportunity away when he is standing on first base
That's what I was implying, he will score on a double from 1st, but if he is caught stealing and sitting in the dugout, it takes away the RBI chance. In the games I have watched, I have noticed he doesn't look comfortable with his lead and reading the pitcher (especially when they pickoff 5 times every time he is on 1st).
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:29 am to sportsfan
quote:
he will score on a double from 1st
Yes, but I still wouldn't say you are "taking an RBI opportunity from a hitter" if he gets thrown out stealing second base. I understand exactly what you are saying. You are thinking he is in scoring position because of the power behind him. That isn't why he isn't running. He isn't running because as has been said a few times now, he just isn't the greatest of base runners yet. Stealing bases is way more than just speed. He will get better at it and will begin to steal more bases and will give Bregman even more RBI opportunities by standing on second base.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:32 am to Mudminnow
quote:
Javi will coach him up on the basepaths
or he just needs to coach him up to hit more doubles so he doesnt have to worry about stealing bases...
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:32 am to sportsfan
He does have a lot to learn when it comes to reading pitchers, but I don't think that he is very quick off of the line. He's fast, but takes a couple of steps to get up to speed. He takes a long stride, which allows him to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. The two times that he's been thrown out, he got terrible jumps, but it's as if his first couple of steps are to get out of a hole.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:33 am to sportsfan
I wish we saw more substantive threads like this one.
Ditto on what other posters have said: hitting in front of the meat of the lineup negates his base-running weaknesses. That said, he has a lot of room for improvement and he NEEDS to improve...thankfully he's a freshman.
Ditto on what other posters have said: hitting in front of the meat of the lineup negates his base-running weaknesses. That said, he has a lot of room for improvement and he NEEDS to improve...thankfully he's a freshman.
Posted on 3/14/13 at 9:34 am to Filmat11
quote:One time was because he had a terrible slide into second. He started his slide too late and went past the bag. He tried to grab the bag as he went past it but couldn't hold on.
The two times that he's been thrown out, he got terrible jumps
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