Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
While on vacation, I got the following email:
Mike,
Love your blog, and figured you'd be the perfect guy to ask this question.
White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik right now has 54 steals and ZERO triples. I heard on the radio that right now this would be the most steals by someone without a triple EVER. Is this true? and just how common is it to have a player be fast enough to steal many bases but never get a triple? Intuition would say the triples would come comparatively easily.
-Matt
Here's my response, but there's even more to it:
Matt,
Thanks. Yep, it's true. The guy can't even claim to have legged a triple into an inside-the-park homer. He's got no homers either. In fact, he has just 27 extra-base hits (all doubles) to his 54 stolen bases.
Here are the only players to steal 30 bases without a triple over an entire season:
| Name | Yr | SB | CS | 3B |
| Miguel Dilone | 1978 | 50 | 23 | 0 |
| Mariano Duncan | 1986 | 48 | 13 | 0 |
| Davey Lopes | 1985 | 47 | 4 | 0 |
| Rickey Henderson | 1997 | 45 | 8 | 0 |
| Jose Canseco | 1988 | 40 | 16 | 0 |
| Herman Pitz | 1890 | 39 | 0 | |
| Rickey Henderson | 1999 | 37 | 14 | 0 |
| Billy Gilbert | 1903 | 37 | 0 | |
| Bob Dernier | 1983 | 35 | 7 | 0 |
| Derek Jeter | 2002 | 32 | 3 | 0 |
| Frank Taveras | 1980 | 32 | 18 | 0 |
| Larry Lintz | 1976 | 31 | 11 | 0 |
| Lenny Dykstra | 1992 | 30 | 5 | 0 |
| Tim Murnane | 1875 | 30 | 9 | 0 |
| Billy North | 1978 | 30 | 10 | 0 |
| Jeff Bagwell | 1999 | 30 | 11 | 0 |
As for the 2-to-1 stolen base-to-extra-base hit ratio, it's not as rare as I expected. Here are the highest ratios (min. 9 SB and 400 AB):
| Name | Yr | SB | CS | 2B | 3B | HR | XBHits | Ratio |
| Hugh Nicol | 1888 | 103 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7.92 | |
| Hugh Nicol | 1887 | 138 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 6.57 | |
| Otis Nixon | 1991 | 72 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6.55 |
| Jack Crooks | 1890 | 57 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 5.70 | |
| Goat Anderson | 1907 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5.40 | |
| Jay Faatz | 1888 | 64 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5.33 | |
| Roy Thomas | 1900 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 5.29 | |
| Billy Sunday | 1890 | 84 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 5.25 | |
| John Ward | 1892 | 88 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 5.18 | |
| Vince Coleman | 1986 | 107 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 21 | 5.10 |
| John Ward | 1887 | 111 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 5.05 | |
| Hugh Nicol | 1889 | 80 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 4.71 | |
| Maury Wills | 1965 | 94 | 31 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 4.48 |
| Rollie Zeider | 1910 | 49 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4.45 | |
| Eric Yelding | 1990 | 64 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 4.27 |
| Billy Hamilton | 1890 | 102 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 24 | 4.25 | |
| Arlie Latham | 1888 | 109 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 4.19 | |
| Billy Sunday | 1888 | 71 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 4.18 | |
| Frank Taveras | 1976 | 58 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 4.14 |
| Dummy Hoy | 1888 | 82 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 4.10 | |
| Vince Coleman | 1987 | 109 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 27 | 4.04 |
Here are the guys in the last 15 years to have 2-to-1 or greater ratio:
| Name | Yr | SB | CS | 2B | 3B | HR | XBHits | Ratio |
| Luis Castillo | 2000 | 62 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 2.82 |
| Tom Goodwin | 2000 | 55 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 2.12 |
| Roger Cedeno | 1999 | 66 | 17 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 2.13 |
| Otis Nixon | 1998 | 37 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 2.85 |
| Rickey Henderson | 1998 | 66 | 13 | 16 | 1 | 14 | 31 | 2.13 |
| Tom Goodwin | 1998 | 38 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 2.11 |
| Otis Nixon | 1997 | 59 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 2.57 |
| Deion Sanders | 1997 | 56 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 2.24 |
| Rickey Henderson | 1997 | 45 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 2.05 |
| Tom Goodwin | 1996 | 66 | 22 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 3.47 |
| Otis Nixon | 1996 | 54 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 3.18 |
| Otis Nixon | 1995 | 50 | 21 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2.17 |
| Tom Goodwin | 1995 | 50 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 2.17 |
| Otis Nixon | 1993 | 47 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 2.94 |
| Chuck Carr | 1993 | 58 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 2.32 |
| Luis Polonia | 1993 | 55 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 2.29 |
| Luis Polonia | 1992 | 51 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2.43 |
| Kenny Lofton | 1992 | 66 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 2.36 |
| Otis Nixon | 1992 | 41 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 2.28 |
| Pat Listach | 1992 | 54 | 18 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 26 | 2.08 |
| Otis Nixon | 1991 | 72 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6.55 |
| Marquis Grissom | 1991 | 76 | 17 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 38 | 2.00 |
| Eric Yelding | 1990 | 64 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 4.27 |
| Vince Coleman | 1990 | 77 | 17 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 33 | 2.33 |
As for the most stolen bases without a triple or a home run. Here are the "leaders":
| Name | Yr | SB | CS | 3B | HR |
| Herman Pitz | 1890 | 39 | 0 | 0 | |
| Frank Taveras | 1980 | 32 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Lintz | 1976 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy North | 1978 | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Herb Washington | 1974 | 29 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Alexander | 1977 | 26 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Chippy McGarr | 1888 | 25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Davy Jones | 1911 | 25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Chippy McGarr | 1893 | 24 | 0 | 0 | |
| Miller Huggins | 1913 | 23 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jack Barry | 1914 | 22 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Dorgan | 1887 | 22 | 0 | 0 | |
| Morrie Rath | 1913 | 22 | 0 | 0 | |
| Morris Nettles | 1975 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Brett Butler | 1982 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Don Hopkins | 1975 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Lintz | 1975 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Roy Hartzell | 1906 | 21 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jim Donnelly | 1897 | 20 | 0 | 0 | |
| Matt Alexander | 1976 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike McGeary | 1871 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Morris Nettles | 1974 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
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