The New York Mets can go extended periods without being considered speed demons. In many recent seasons, this has been the case.
Oh, but steals are so last century, you say. The mantra over time is this: The stolen base has its place. Even in the age of analytics, speed can kill on both the top and bottom of the inning.
Mets fans know. They’ve seen everyone from Dwight Gooden to Noah Syndergaard get thrown off their game by opponents stealing at will. And while teams had trouble getting Mike Piazza out, the Hall of Fame catcher had plenty of trouble throwing runners out.