Base stealing was popular during the infancy of the sport. Hall of Famer Ty Cobb led the league in stolen bases on six different occasions and once stolen 96 bases in a single season. Nowadays, due to analytics, a stolen base is as uncommon as a bunt. However, the Cincinnati Reds‘ storied history is littered with players who loved to show off their speed.
Babe Ruth put an end to the stolen base after introducing fans to the long ball. Swiping a bag was no longer the “in” thing and hitting home runs became the standard.