Nothing makes veteran scouts more nostalgic than a timely Rickey Henderson or Tim Raines reference. Given the fragile state of the leadoff hitter landscape, a lot of talent evaluators would be as giddy rehashing the career exploits of Brett Butler or Juan Pierre.
Scan the 30 MLB rosters, and it's getting harder to find hitters who have mastered the craft. Dee Gordon, Matt Carpenter, Ian Kinsler, Mookie Betts, Adam Eaton, Curtis Granderson, Jose Altuve and Dexter Fowler all warrant mentioning among the best in the game at the moment -- and Fowler's .