As most Dodger fans know, their beloved team was not very successful at stealing bases this past season. In fact, the Dodgers’ 59 stolen bases in 2015 ranked 12th (out of 15) in the National League and the 34 times in which they were caught stealing put them dead last with a 63.4 percent success rate. In other words, they were terrible at stealing bases and well below the league average of 88 stolen bases and the league success rate 70.77 percent.

2015 Dodgers stolen bases

Without question, the biggest reason why the Dodgers went from having the second-most stolen bases in the MLB in 2014 to having the fourth-fewest in 2015 was the departure of Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon, who led the majors in stolen base with 64 with the Dodgers in 2014 and with 58 this past season with the Miami Marlins. But while trading Gordon to the Marlins last off-season is the main reason for the Dodgers huge decline in stolen bases in 2015, it is not the only reason. Some of that blame belongs to Dodgers first base coach Davey Lopes.

Now granted, speed is something that cannot be taught – you either have it or you don’t. But teaching base runners how to read a pitcher’s move and how to get a better jump can be taught. But like the old saying “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,” Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi didn’t give Lopes much to work with this past season.

When you exclude Gordon’s 64 stolen bases from the Dodgers team total of 138 stolen bases in 2014, they still had 15 more than they had this past season. That being said and on the other side of the coin, the total number of stolen bases across the MLB went down exponentially this past season from 2,764 in 2014 to 2,505 in 2015 – a difference or 259 – so it’s not just the Dodgers who struggled on the basepaths this past season.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner successfully steals third base during Game -5 of the 2015 NLDS. Unfortunately, he was left stranded there in the eventual 3-2 Dodgers loss and elimination from the postseason.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The biggest head-scratcher (and disappointment) was the fact that Dodgers rookie outfield Joc Pederson stole only four bases in 2015 – this after having stolen 30 at Triple-A Albuquerque in 2014 and 31 at Double-A Chattanooga in 2013. And while it is understood that it is tougher to steal off of major league pitchers and catchers than it is in the minor leagues, a drop from 30 stolen bases to only four suggests that Pederson was not getting the coaching he needed at the big league level.

In spite of his franchise-tying 170 strikeouts in 2015, Pederson still had a very impressive on-base percentage of .346 in his first full season in the majors, so it wasn’t as though he didn’t have the opportunity to steal more bases, he just didn’t. Why? One can only speculate that because he was caught stealing seven times in 11 attempts during 2015, his confidence in stealing bases may have been shot – again, a coaching issue.

It became apparent very early in the season that stealing bases was not a top priority for the 2015 Dodgers. In fact, when the Dodgers were last in the major leagues in stolen bases back in May, I specifically asked Dodgers manager Don Mattingly if he was planning to attempt to steal more bases as the season progresses. I will be the first to admit that Mattingly’s answer surprised me.

“That’s not who we are anymore,” Mattingly said. “We don’t have Dee [Gordon] so that’s not really our game now. We’ll still get a few from Jimmy [Rollins] and Carl [Crawford] and Joc, but we’re a different team this year.”

Again, I asked this question of Mattingly back in May. His answer sounded as though he had already waved the white flag and gave no indication whatsoever that he saw his team’s lack of stolen bases (or even attempted stolen bases) as a problem.

But what about next season? Is there even a remote chance that Friedman and Zaidi (and Mattingly’s replacement) will change their philosophy when it comes to stealing bases? The answer is a definite maybe – especially with Pederson. As Joc gets more comfortable at the big league level and gets to know the pitchers and catchers better, it only stands to reason that his stolen base numbers will go up. That being said, if he continues to struggle at the plate like he did in the second half of the 2015 season, he could find himself back in the minor leagues on Opening Day next season.

Another potential base-stealing bright spot in 2016 is rookie second baseman Jose Peraza, who the Dodgers acquired from the Atlanta Braves at the July 31 trade deadline along with left-handers Alex Wood and Luis Avilan and right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Jim Johnson. Before straining his left hamstring on September 13, the 21-year-old Barinas, Venezuela native stole three bases without being caught in only seven games played. Unfortunately, his hamstring injury lingered, thus forcing the Dodgers to exclude the young speedster from their postseason roster. But depending on what the Dodgers decide to do with veteran second baseman Howie Kendrick – who himself stole six bases in 2015 – Peraza could very well become the Dodgers everyday second baseman in 2016. This would undoubtedly increase their stolen base numbers next season.

In only seven MLB games, Jose Peraza showed excellent speed on the bases. He collected his first major league hit on August 10 when he legged out a triple to right field without a throw. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

During a press conference on October 22, it was announced that Don Mattingly would not be returning as the Dodgers manager in 2016. At the same time, Friedman told reporters that all of the existing Dodgers coaches were free to pursue jobs elsewhere. On November 2, Mattingly was officially announced as the new manager of the Miami Marlins – a position that he was rumored to be targeted for by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria regardless of the fact that doing so was a violation of MLB’s tampering rules. As expected, the rumors were adamantly denied by Mattingly, who claimed he knew nothing about it.

“I have no idea where that comes from. I’m happy [here in L.A.],” Mattingly told reporters on September 2 when informed of the rumors. “I’m not worried about anything as far as that goes. Again, I’m happy where I’m at, I like being here, I feel like I’m a Dodger and that being said, pretty much is all we need to talk about as far as me. I think we talk about winning games, moving forward and that’s really all I care about and that’s really what these guys care about.”

On November 5 it was confirmed that Davey Lopes had accepted the job as first base coach for the Washington National under new manager (and Lopes’ former teammate) Dusty Baker. The following day it was announced that Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt had agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Dodgers, although it is still unclear exactly what Honeycutt’s role will be with the club.

There has been no further word on the status of Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire, bullpen coach Chuck Crim, bench coach Tim Wallach and third base coach Ron Roenicke, with the latter two having interviewed for the now-vacant Dodgers manager position. Asked if he would following Mattingly to Miami, Crim made it very clear that he wants to remain in Los Angeles.

“I want to be a Dodger,” said Crim “I like it here, this is where I want to stay.”

Friedman and Zaidi are reportedly schedule to meet with Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez for an interview this week during the annual General Managers’ Meeting in Boca Raton, Florida. An announcement as to who the new Dodgers manager will be could come by the end of the week, with the coaching staff announcements expected sometime next week.

But regardless of who the new Dodgers manager is and regardless of who the new coaches will be, the Dodgers might want to re-evaluate their current philosophy when it comes to base stealing next season.

Why, you ask?

Because the team that has led all of baseball in stolen bases for the last two seasons just won the World Series.