Matheny wants Cards to take more calculated risks on the base paths
Mike Matheny hasn't been happy with the Cardinals' cautionary base running. He wants his players to be more daring on the base paths, even if it means occasionally running into outs.
“I think early on [in the season] we set a higher standard,” Matheny told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We were extremely aggressive and there were some times that maybe we saw some outs made and guys got a little gun shy. That’s something, when we have our meetings, we try to highlight those aggressive plays even if it’s an aggressive mistake. We’ll take that over a passive avoidance of a mistake. I don’t want to be that kind of team.”
Matheny isn't just talking about stealing bases, which Jason Heyward did twice in Thursday's win over the Reds. He also wants runners to try to take an extra base when opportunities arise.
Citing FanGraphs.com, the Post-Dispatch showed that the Cards have been an average baserunning team this season.
Yadier Molina has taken 12 bases — that is, extended for third base on a single, scored from first on a double — while only being thrown out on the bases twice. Heyward has taken a team-best 12 extra bases and made seven outs on the bases. He is the only Cardinal to take the extra base in more than 50 percent of his opportunities to do so, according to the Post-Dispatch.
“I want them to trust the ball off the bat, and that they’re not going to be afraid,” Matheny said. “That’s kind of like walking up to the plate and telling yourself, ‘I don’t want to strike out.’ Let’s use our instincts. … That’s the kind of team I would like us to be. You don’t have to have speed to do that. You have to be conscientious.”
(h/t St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
