56.05 Perfect Crime: Blazers yet to be caught on the basepaths

[Bob Breum]

Montreal's new co-GM Bob Breum installed his new coaching staff with the goal of maximizing the running game. Manager Ernest Zamora was selected because of his well known predilection for aggressive base running, and base coaches Tim Gillespie and Adrián Ríos were brought in because of their skill at controlling the running game. As Breum assembled the 2056 roster, he prioritized players with speed and base stealing savvy. The majority of the roster, 9 out of 14, now meet this criteria, giving Zamora, et al, lots of flexibility to implement Breum's directive. The team doesn't expect its less fleet of foot batters to attempt many steals; the plan is to maximize the value of the running game without giving up too many outs.

So far, the plan is working. It's early and the sample size is small, but the Blazers have stolen fifteen bags without a single caught stealing. No one player is responsible; eight of the nine speedsters have at least one steal, with the 40-year-old Quant 'Greek Freak' Kouros leading the team with three.