33 games into the season, the Braves are a remarkable 5-for-15 stealing bases. Now they’re not the only team in single digits when it comes to steals: the Cubs have just one more stolen base on the season. But to have been caught on two-thirds of their attempts makes this an historically awful start.
The Braves are currently on pace for 25 steals, which would be the lowest total since the Mets had 25 in 1994. The last team to finish with fewer than 25 steals were the 1973 Pirates, with 23.
Of course, the Braves aren’t really that bad. But unless they pick it up, they will join this list of the teams with the worst steal percentages since 2005:
Nationals 2005: 45/45 - 50.0%
Athletics 2005: 31/22 - 58.5%
Braves 2006: 52/35 - 59.8%
Tigers 2006: 60/40 - 60.0%
Royals 2005: 53/33 - 61.6%
Cubs 2009: 56/34 - 62.2%
Dodgers 2005: 58/35 - 62.4%
Cubs 2005: 65/39 - 62.5%
Indians 2007: 72/41 - 62.8%
Cardinals 2007: 56/33 - 62.9%
Rockies 2006: 85/50 - 63.0%
Giants 2010: 55/32 - 63.2%
Indians 2005: 62/36 - 63.3%
White Sox 2007: 78/45 - 63.4%
Cubs 2010: 55/31 - 63.9%
Royals 2007: 78/44 - 63.9%
The 2011 White Sox are also threatening an appearance, thanks largely to Juan Pierre’s awful start. They’re 18-for-36 stealing bases in the early going.
It’s hard to imagine the Braves finishing short of 30 steals, but they might fail to reach 40 unless they bring in some speed later on. The last team to steal fewer than 40 bases was the 2008 Padres.
Of course, the Braves can take heart that a team doesn’t need to be particularly good at stealing bases to win. Note the presence of the 2010 Giants on the list above.