Royals outfielder Billy Burns can’t tell you with certainty how many steps it takes to dash between first and second base.
Standing near his locker in the Royals’ spring-training clubhouse, he laughs because he knows players who can recite the number of strides they need to cover 90 feet of infield dirt and swipe a bag with precision.
Burns doesn’t think he’ll ever get to that point.
But if he is one day able to, it’ll be because he has logged significant time this spring perfecting his base-stealing technique, putting every part of his approach under a microscope with the help of newly minted first-base coach Mitch Maier and longtime coach Rusty Kuntz.