Former stolen bases champ Vince Coleman not sure about bigger bags: "Are those guys really base stealers?"

Former MLB star Vince Coleman knows a thing or two about how to steal a base. The speedster won the 1985 NL Rookie of the Year Award with the St. Louis Cardinals after swiping a league-best 110 bags.

Coleman followed up his rookie success by leading the league in the category for the next five seasons. By the time of his retirement in 1997, Vince Coleman had stolen 752 bases, placing him sixth on the all-time leaderboard.

In a recent interview for SportsNaut, Coleman offered his views on the MLB's recent move to increase base sizes from 15 square inches to 18 square inches. Speaking about the measures, Coleman doubted that they make it easier for players to steal bases, saying:

“Today’s game is a little different. They’ve made the bases bigger and they’ve given guys a few more opportunities but are those guys really base stealers?"

Although Coleman's hypothesis might have some truth to it, stolen bases are way up in 2023. Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves was the first baserunner of the season, and stole second successfully. In all, there were 21 stolen bases on opening day, and steals were up by 54% at the end of April.

However, the reasons for this might be related to the new pick-off rules. Under the new directives, pitchers are only allowed to attempt three pick-offs per plate appearance. If three attempts are made unsuccessfully, then the runner takes his base.

Currently, Esteury Ruiz of the Oakland Athletics leads the league with 21 stolen bases. When Vince Coleman was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, that number would not have been notable.

"Vince Coleman is the only player in the modern era to steal 100+ bases three years in a row. You’ll never see it again." - Super 70s Sports

The moves were made by the league to stimulate offense and allow for more runs. Stolen bases have been becoming less and less common. Vince Coleman's comments may have some truth to them, but the real impact of these rules certainly remains to be seen.

Vince Coleman will always be one of the best base stealers ever

While the game is changing at a breakneck pace, no amount of rules or regulations can change the nature of the game. As such, Coleman will always be seen as a player of superlative skill when it comes to the art of stealing a base, regardless of the difference in league rules between his time and now.