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Who were the last five Cleveland baseball players to steal 50 or more bases in a season?

By James Mastrucci |
Cleveland Guardians v Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Guardians v Minnesota Twins / David Berding/GettyImages
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Stealing bases is an art. There have been many players over the years who have tried their hand at matching the same success rate as some of the best to ever do it. While some have been more successful than others, oftentimes, the volume required to be considered an elite base stealer simply is not there.

But there are those other times when a player just has that special something that can elevate them higher than the rest and find their way toward the top of an organization's best single-season stolen base numbers. These players were highly respected for perfecting their craft and being able to reach heights in the stolen base department that very few could attain.

While the 2023 season saw the re-introduction of the stolen base to the masses and not just the select few who possess the rare skill set that was previously required to swipe bags at a high volume, there is a good chance that organizations will see a big change at the top of the stolen base leaders relatively soon. Before that happens, let's take some time to acknowledge the five most recent players to steal 50 or more bases in Cleveland baseball history.

(Note: This list includes individual players not their individual seasons, as there are multiple entries on this list by one player in particular, with the most recent being the only one accounted for).

5. Braggo Roth: 1917 - 51 Stolen Bases

Going back in time all the way to just the third season after ditching the Naps as their team name, 24-year-old outfielder Braggo Roth would steal enough bases to end up on this list.

Stealing 51 bases in his second full season in Cleveland was Roth, good for the fourth most in the majors that season. This was a number that eclipsed his career-high from the previous season by 22 bases. This total would remain the single-season high for Roth for the remainder of his career, with the only other season with more than 30 steals would come in 1918, when he stole 36.

4. Ray Chapman: 1917 - 52 Stolen Bases

There was a second player from that 1917 Cleveland team that eclipsed the 50-stolen base barrier, and that would be Ray Chapman. Chapman's career-high 52 stolen bases just barely edged out Roth for the team lead during the 1917 season, along with being third overall just behind Ty Cobb and Eddie Collins with 55 and 53 swipes, respectively.

Like his teammate Roth, this was the only time that Chapman would steal more than 50 bases in a season. The next highest stolen base total for Chapman came a few years earlier in 1914, stealing 36 bases. Chapman would steal 35 in 1918, but this would be the last time in his career he would have more than 20 in a season.

3. Miguel Dilone: 1980 - 61 Stolen Bases

The first entry into the latter half of the 20th century would be Miguel Dilone's campaign in 1980. This was Dilone's first season in Cleveland after playing for the Pirates, Athletics, and Cubs in the six years prior, and it would be an impressive first season for the speedy outfielder.

Dilone would go on to steal a career-high 61 bases in 79 attempts during the 1980 season. This led Cleveland by a pretty healthy margin (Toby Harrah's 17 being the next highest number for Cleveland that year). This stolen base total would beat out Dilone's previous high of 50 during the 1978 season, the first and only full season he played with Oakland.

The then 25-year old stole the seventh-most bases in all of baseball that year and was third in the American League, with Oakland's Rickey Henderson leading both with a casual 100 steals for the stolen base king.

Like most players appearing on this list, Dilone would have difficulty reaching similar stolen base numbers as his career progressed. The next highest stolen base total after his 1980 season came in 1982 (33), which would happen to be his final full season with Cleveland.

2. Brett Butler: 1984 - 52 Stolen Bases

Moving a bit forward in time and still on the other side of the Back to the Future timeline is Brett Butler's 1984 season.

Staying with the theme of making an impact in their first season in Cleveland, Butler managed to steal 52 bases in 159 games. Like Dilone before him, Butler was the team-leader in steals that season, with the next highest stolen base total belonging to Tony Bernazard with 20.

In addition to leading Cleveland that year, Butler would be third in the American League and sixth in all of baseball in 1984. Rickey Henderson was the American League leader with 66 steals that season while Montreal's Tim Raines managed to swipe 75 bags, leading all of baseball.

Butler's 52 steals in 1984 was a career-high, but only by the smallest of margins. Butler continued to be relatively consistent over the course of his career in the stolen base department, falling one steal short of equaling his 1984 total during the 1990 season with the San Francisco Giants (51). This was toward the tail end of an 11-year stretch that saw Butler steal no less than 31 bases from 1983 through 1993. The ability to steal a base at a consistent rate was impressive despite leading all of baseball in times caught stealing twice (22 in 1984 and 28 in 1991) and the American League once (20 in 1985).

1. Kenny Lofton: 1998 - 54 Stolen Bases

At last, the name everyone has been waiting for. The one, the only, Kenny Lofton.

Lofton is the last Cleveland baseball player to steal 50 or more bases in a single season, with 54 during the 1998 campaign. This was the first season of Lofton's second stint with Cleveland, having being traded to the Atlanta Braves for the 1997 season and returing via free agency for 1998.

Unlike the previous two entries, Lofton's stolen base total was not as much of a lopsided runaway as Omar Vizquel would go on to steal 37 that season.

Even though Lofton would steal the third-most bases in all of baseball and the second-most in the American League, it is a familiar name taking top honors in both, Rickey Henderson. Henderson's 66 would again prevent a Cleveland player from being the stolen base leader in the American League.

Having eclipsed 50 stolen bases in a season times previously, the 54 during the 1998 season would be the last time that Lofton stole more than 33 in a season. Lofton would surpass the 30 stolen base mark three more times in his career. Stealing 30 in his second to last season in his second go around with Cleveland (2000), 30 steals were split between the Pirates and Cubs in 2003, and his 32 swipes in 2006 with the Dodgers being the final time he would steal 30 or more in a season.

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