Jonathan Villar dished out a big old helping of steals this past week, and I wouldn’t expect anything different after not including him in my last few posts – D’oh! Fact is, prior to this week’s little splurge, Villar had gone from August 13th to September 5th with only 1 stolen base and 3 caught stealing. I couldn’t justify recommending him as a reliable source of stolen bases while he was in the midst of that kind of steals drought, especially at a critical point in the season like this. I’m changing my tune though after watching him steal 4 bases and chip in a homer to boot. He’s got the speed and last week is probably a good sign that the steals slump from August is officially over. He now has 17 steals in just 44 games and despite being caught 7 times already, he’s a player who should be worth a roll of the dice over the last two weeks of the season even with a tough match-up against the Reds to start the week. A lot of other owners have already jumped on board, as his ownership at the four letter word jumped 40%. If he’s already gone in your league, here are a few other options for steals that may be available on your wire:
Jarrod Dyson – @WAS, @CHC
I was really excited to watch Dyson and Emilio Bonifacio run all over the Tigers, but instead I got 1 caught stealing, two pickoffs, and an ejection between the two. Ugh. Dyson did swipe a bag despite all that and this week sets up to be another good opportunity for him to help your team in steals. The Nationals remain dead last in caught stealing percentage (17%).
Leury Garcia – MIN, @DET
Garcia received a little bump in playing time last week and was able to steal two bases against the Tigers. While he’s not a reliable source of starting time and he’s dealing with a blister on his hand, you might do worse then him when he faces Detroit again later this week.
Billy Hamilton – @HOU, @PIT
The shiny new toy buzz has worn off a little, but Hamilton still managed to steal a base despite no playing time. He could still go on a little spree like he did his first week in the majors, although it seems like it’s only going to come in a pinch running role, which could be a risky proposition (he appeared in only two games last week).
Dee Gordon – @ARI, @SD
Like Hamilton, Gordon has seen most of his contributions come as a pinch runner, but with the latest injury to Hanley Ramirez as well as some opportunities to play at second, Gordon could see enough time to be helpful to your fantasy team as a base stealer. He stole two last week and there’s a nice match-up against the Padres on the horizon.
Teams highlighted in green are in the top ten for most stolen bases allowed.
Teams highlighted in red are in the top ten for least stolen bases allowed.
If you’re a Tweeter on Twitter, you can follow me @643ball
