Like most Yankees fans of the 1980s, I had my favorite players’ posters on the wall.  One of them was the all-time stolen base leader, Rickey Henderson.  Rickey only played five seasons for the Yankees (well, actually less, as he was traded mid-season in 1989), but he stole 326 bases during that period.  To this day, he ranks second on the Yankees all time leaderboard for stolen bases behind some guy named Derek Jeter (who played a ton longer in pinstripes).   The stolen base has really been an afterthought for the Yankees over recent seasons, but something happened after the All-Star break last season.

Meet the 2025 MLB Stolen Base Leader

Enter José Cabellero.  The last-second trade deadline acquisition led the league in stolen bases last season.  Oddly, though only 14 of the 47 were with the Yankees, something strange happened after he arrived: the Yankees as a team began to steal bases again.  Prior to the 2025 all-star break, the Yankees had 63 stolen bases, good for 18th in the league.  But after the All-Star break, they had 71 stolen bases, which was good for tied for 3rd in the league.  They were also one of the very few teams that had more stolen bases after the All-Star break than before the All-Star break (the Twins really discovered they could steal a base after the break).  Far from Caballero, it appears that something was different philosophically for the team.

2026 is off to a “Fast Start.”

 Only a week into the season, you can see that philosophy continues.  The Yankees are off to an excellent 6-1 start.  They rank second in MLB with 11 stolen bases (amazingly, the Brewers have 15 in only six games).  Jazz Chisholm Jr. (who has bragged he will steal 50 bases this year) has four, while Caballero has three.  Six different Yankees have stolen a base this year, and as a reminder, one of their fastest players, Anthony Volpe, who has averaged 23 stolen bases a season, is on the injured list. 

Reaching for the Team Record Book

 They call the Yankees the Bronx Bombers for a reason.  The tradition of the team is to sit and wait and hit Home Runs, but maybe this year is different.  It wouldn’t take much for this year’s squad to climb the team record books.  First, let’s remember that baseball was different before Babe Ruth.  The Yankees Top 12 all-time stolen base seasons all occurred prior to 1917.  In 1976, the Yankees stole 163 bases.  That is the only time the Yankees have stolen more than one base per game (they came really close in 2021 with 161 steals) since 1916.  With 134 steals last year, that marked the 11th highest team total in over 100 years.  In four of those seasons, they had the guy on the poster in my room, Rickey Henderson.  Don’t be surprised if this year’s team approaches and clears the 162 stolen base mark.  It’s a change in philosophy on the team, and it’s a good sign.  Small ball wins games.  You can’t always wait for a three-run Home Run.  Sometimes, you have to steal that extra base, and then good things happen!