Last year's Nationals were a mostly sedentary team. Their 57 stolen bases ranked 27th, and their team leader, Michael Taylor, had only 16 steals. According to Fangraphs' formula for baserunning value, Washington was 22nd best at creating runs on the bases.
But in the offseason, the Nats replaced Matt Williams with Dusty Baker, and they hired Davey Lopes to coach first base. For any team looking to jump-start its running game, there may not be a better hire than Lopes. The former Dodger stole 557 bases during a 16-year playing career in the 1970s and '80s, and he has spent most of the past quarter century as a Major League coach, bringing his baserunning expertise to five franchises, including the Nationals in 2006.