in previous editions.
As home run totals continue to rise around the league, the stolen base has become an afterthought. After all, why risk getting thrown out trying to run to second or third base when you can wait for the opportunity to jog all the way to home plate?
The last time Major League teams combined to steal 3,500 bases in a season was 1987, when the league totaled 3,648 swipes. The last campaign with at least 3,000 steals was more recent -- 3,229 steals in 2012, a marked increase over the totals from the first half-dozen seasons of the 21st century. Those years featured consistent totals in the low-to-mid 2,000s. After the 2012 spike, stolen bases cratered to 2,693 in 2013 and haven't sniffed 3,000 since.