by Tim Anderson

Created on: December 03, 2008

In baseball, hitting and pitching isn't the only part of the game. Another very valuable part is speed. You need that speed for that extra stolen base, beating out a grounder, stretching a single to extra bases, or making a play on defense. Here is the best current team that would best fulfill your need for speed.

C- Russell Martin

When thinking speed, catcher is not the position where you get much. There might be a few players here and there that can get maybe 10 stolen bases per year. But, there aren't very many players that can steal 15+ or even 20+ bases in one season. Russell Martin is one of these players. For three straight seasons, Russell Martin has stolen 10 or more bases. In back-to-back seasons, Martin has swiped 15 or more bases including a 21 base performance in 2007. His recent season showed him stealing 18 bases while only being caught 6 times. Not only does Russell have the speed, he gets on base enough to have the chance for a steal. His 117 singles in 2008 was good enough for 9th in the AL. Also, his 90 walks were good enough for 5th in 2008. That is a total of 207 times where Martin was on first. Martin may not be the player you need to steal 50 bases, but when speed is the game you want, Martin is the guy you want behind the plate.

1B- Lance Berkman

Just like catcher, first base is a historically slow position known for just power. The only real standout base stealer from this particular position is one that stands out with the bat as well. Lance Berkman has recently made a name for himself as the fastest man in baseball well, the fastest man to currently play first base. Lance has been stealing bases since he came into the league in 1997, but the highest he had stolen was 9 in 2004. Before 2008, his average stolen bases per year was 6. In 2008, Lance more than doubled that. As a matter of fact, he tripled that. Not only did Lance steal a base 18 times, he only got caught 4 times. In a slim pool of speed competition, Lance Berkman stands out head and shoulders above all others.

2B- Brian Roberts

Now, we get into a position that actually has players that can run away from a molasses flood. The player representing this position has to be one of the best base stealers in all of baseball. Brian Roberts is, hands down, one of the best speedsters in the MLB right now. Since 2001, Brian Roberts has stolen 226 bases and only been caught 57 times. Also, since 2003, Brian has stolen 20 or more bases including stealing 50 bases in 2007. His 226 stolen

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