Major League Baseball

MLB: Who Is the Fastest Player in Baseball?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

As the saying goes, speed kills. Who are the fastest players in MLB?

Every team strives to have that player at the top of their lineup who can be a game changer on the basepaths. Between stealing bases, stretching singles into extra base hits, and going first to third, speed brings value to an offense that other factors simply cannot match.

When you think of who the fastest players in MLB could be, a few names quickly come to mind. The Reds’ Billy Hamilton, who was heralded as the next Rickey Henderson during his ascent through the minor leagues, would probably be your first guess. Perhaps you’d go with the Marlins’ Dee Gordon or Nats rookie sensation Trea Turner, both of whom hit at the top of their lineups as well.

Today’s era of baseball may not compare to the 1980s, when players like Henderson, Tim Raines, Ozzie Smith and Vince Coleman dominated the basepaths. However, there are a large crop of speedsters in the game today that could be in the conversation for fastest player. Every team in the league, aside from maybe the Orioles, boasts at least one of these players on their roster.

So who is the fastest player in the league? Using a combination of the data from MLB’s data tracking program Statcast, advanced metrics from statistical databases like Fangraphs, and a little bit of the good old fashioned eye test, that answer can be deduced like never before. Here are the majors’ top five, starting off with a member of the Senior Circuit who has swiped at least 30 bags in four straight seasons.

Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Starling Marte

Starling Marte may not be the Pirates’ leadoff hitter, but he is undoubtedly the best baserunner they have on the team. His 148 steals since the start of the 2013 season rank third in all of baseball.

While he may play left field, that does not make Marte any less of a threat. He is one of five corner outfielders this century (minimum 75 percent of playing time at position) with at least 160 stolen bases. The four players ahead of him have all logged at least 1,333 games played during that time. Marte has appeared in 595.

Marte’s speed score, a statistic developed by Bill James that quantifies a player’s baserunning abilities, is 7.7 so far this season. That mark ranks second in the league among qualified hitters behind the Reds’ Hamilton. For comparison, Rickey Henderson averaged a speed score of 7.0 throughout his 25-year career.

The 27-year-old outfielder may not bring much to the plate in terms of power, but he more than makes up for it with his legs. After being named to the first All-Star Game of his young career this season, it appears the league is finally starting to take notice. Good luck trying to catch him though.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Dee Gordon

Steroids or not, there is no doubt that Dee Gordon is one of the fastest players in the game. After swiping 122 bags between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, the sky appeared to be the limit for what the Marlins second baseman was capable of. When the news broke that Gordon tested positive for the performance-enhancing substances clostebol and exogenous testosterone during Spring Training, it tainted his legacy for forever.

Having served his 80-game suspension, Gordon has delivered his apology and returned to the field looking to reestablish his place in the league. While he may not be winning any more batting titles anytime soon, Gordon is still as legit as they come on the basepaths. His 3.91 home-to-first time was the fastest average in the league by an infielder last season (this year’s totals have not yet been made available by Statcast).

With a max speed of upwards of 21 mph, it isn’t very surprising that Gordon eclipsed 200 career steals in fewer than 530 career games. It took Ozzie Smith, who ranks 22nd on the all-time stolen bases list, more than 200 more to reach the same mark. Gordon’s father, Tom “Flash” Gordon, may have garnered that nickname despite never recording a stolen base in his 21-year career as a pitcher, but his son is certainly living up to it.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Hamilton

Steal totals alone don’t determine the fastest player in the league, but if they did, Billy Hamilton would take the cake by a landslide. Since he entered the league in 2013, Hamilton has swiped 184 bags in 224 attempts. Jose Altuve is a distant second at 155.

His ability to take bases at will, coupled with his blistering 3.95 home-to-first average speed in 2015, makes him a nightmare for infielders. One can only imagine what he could do if he is able to push his on-base percentage upwards of .350. He leads the majors with an 8.3 speed score, further proving his ability to provide value on the basepaths aside from just stolen bases.

Hamilton has also gotten much wiser about choosing when to steal. After being caught a league-high 23 times in 79 opportunities in 2014, Hamilton became much more selective. The Reds center fielder stole one more base the following year than he did in 2014, but was caught 15 fewer times.

If you take a look at the all-time stolen base rankings, you might do a double take upon seeing the name Billy Hamilton sitting at third on that list. No, they are not the same man. The former Kansas City Cowboy, Philadelphia Athletic and Boston Beaneater played from 1888 to 1901, swiping 914 bases along the way. Today’s Hamilton may not have as cool a nickname (pretty tough to beat Sliding Billy), but he could certainly be on his way to eventually rivaling that mark.

Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Billy Burns

Billy Burns is living proof that you don’t have to be an everyday player to make an impact on a daily basis. A former 32nd round pick, Burns broke into the big leagues in 2015 after getting a cup of coffee for 13 games the previous year. He played 211 games in a season and a half for the A’s until Oakland traded him to Kansas City. Since joining the Royals, Burns has since scuffled at the plate to the tune of a .111/.111/.111 slash line. Luckily for him, hitting was not the main reason the defending world champions acquired him in the first place.

Manager Ned Yost loves to utilize speed off the bench, inserting speedsters such as Jarrod Dyson into late-inning situations. Burns fits the mold perfectly, boasting a 3.85 home-to-first average that is tops in all of baseball. While the Royals are still on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, it would be easy to see Yost having a field day with Burns and Dyson in October.

The Washington Nationals drafted Burns in 2011, but traded him for a disappointing season out of left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins. The Nats probably aren’t too worked up over losing him, however. The team has another young face roaming center field these days…

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Trea Turner

If you aren’t familiar with Trea Turner yet, you’re missing out on something special. The reigning National League Rookie of the Month has already racked up 20 steals, the most on the team. The difference between him and a majority of his teammates at the top of that list, is that he’s only played in 47 games.

Of players with at least 200 plate appearances this season, Turner leads them all with a speed score of 9.1. The last time a player finished a season with a speed score above 9.0? In 1994, when the Indians’ Kenny Lofton and Royals’ Vince Coleman stole a combined 110 bases.

Turner has reached a max speed of 22.7 mph, recorded on multiple occasions. The three times he has been caught stealing, replay review has been required to make the final call. Even in center field, a position that he has had to learn on the fly this season (no pun intended), Turner has put his speed on full display. On this diving catch on a screamer off the bat of Adam Jones, Turner managed to cover 102 feet with a max speed of 20.2 mph.

The 23-year-old phenom is already the fastest player in baseball, and he’s just getting started.

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