Can the Phillies Harness Their Speed?

Last year, the Phillies stole fewer than 60 bases - 59, to be exact - for the for the first time since 1973, when they stole just 51. Their 70.2 percent efficiency placed them ahead of the eventual World Series champion Astros by a hair, and gave them only the ninth-lowest rate in the game. It’s a far cry from the halcyon days of Davey Lopes, and Chase Utley going 23-for-23, but at least it...well...leaves a low bar to clear?

Benchmarking pleasantries aside, there’s actually some reason to believe the Phillies could be well-suited for a much more aggressive approach on the bases in 2018; steals, extra bases, the whole lot.

For starters, it helps to understand how the Phillies behaved on the…