Shohei Ohtani's stolen-base surge: How baseball's best player added another elite skill to his arsenal

Ohtani is trying to create baseball's 50-50 club by stealing more bases than he ever has before

By R.J. Anderson Sep 10, 2024 at 10:26 am ET• 6 min read

With just over two weeks remaining in Major League Baseball's regular season, it's safe to declare Shohei Ohtani's first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers a massive success. He's positioned himself to win his third career Most Valuable Player Award; he's made progress toward returning to the mound next spring; oh, and he's established a new historic benchmark by becoming the first player in recorded history to tally at least 45 home runs and 45 stolen bases in the same season. A 50-50 effort is within reach (he enters play Tuesday with 46 homers and 47 steals).

Ohtani, 30, had previously dazzled with his bat and his arm. This season, though, baseball's preeminent multi-hyphenate has added another descriptor to his collection: basestealing extraordinaire. While it's not common for any star to become a master thief after their 30th birthday -- players tend to decline in that area by this time in their careers, and, anecdotally, teams tend to throw up the red light on their best players to preserve their health -- there's not much that is common about Ohtani's career.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, no stranger to the art of the stolen base, credited Ohtani's newfound ability to the quiet behind-the-scenes work he's put in with coach Clayton McCullough on his technique and approach. "I just think now he is looking like a base stealer," Roberts told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune last month. "The jumps are way better, the situations he runs just makes more sense to the scoreboard and he's became a really plus base stealer and not just a fast baseball player."

The results indicate Ohtani's hard work is paying off. Not only has he been more aggressive on the basepaths, he's been far more efficient, too. He entered Monday with would-be career-best marks in various categories, including total stolen bases, efficiency, and attempt rate per opportunity. (Do note that stolen-base opportunities are defined as times he was on first or second with the next base open.)