MLB Stolen Base Report: Teams, Pitchers & Players to Target, May 16th, 2026

As the calendar flips to mid-May, the race for speed is heating up across the majors. For fantasy managers, keeping a close eye on the latest MLB stolen base report is the fastest way to climb your league standings. Unlike home runs or pitching wins, stolen bases remain the most movable category in fantasy baseball if you target the right players and matchups. Think about when you head to the fantasy baseball waiver wire or when looking at daily MLB hitter projections – you can find speed more readily available than power. Maybe not the elite-level speed you see among the stolen base leaders, but if you have the right information, you can stream speed as effectively as streaming in relief pitchers to fix your ratios.

By analyzing changing MLB stolen base trends over the last three seasons, as well as examining the current landscape for steals, you can identify hidden speed sources before your league mates do. Let's dive into the current landscape as of May 16, 2026.

MLB Stolen Base Leaders as of May 16th, 2026

The current leaderboard features a thrilling mix of elite five-tool superstars and specialized speed merchants. Elite fantasy assets are pacing the field, but unheralded rookies and premium bench pieces are keeping pace.

MLB Teams Attempting the Most Stolen Bases

Team context is everything when hunting for speed. A player with visual elite sprint speed can be held back by a conservative manager. If you need a quick boost, look to the waiver wire for available bench bats or utility players on these green-light franchises.

• Tampa Bay Rays -- 68
• Miami Marlins -- 67
• Cleveland Guardians -- 59
• Milwaukee Brewers -- 59
• Washington Nationals -- 57
• New York Yankees – 57

MLB Teams with the Highest Stolen Base Success Rate

Efficiency keeps base runners out of the manager's doghouse. While volume matters, teams that choose their spots wisely sustain their running game over a long 162-game season. Players on these teams will rarely lose you points in net-stolen-base formats.

• Philadelphia Phillies -- 88.2%
• Pittsburgh Pirates -- 88.0%
• Chicago Cubs -- 86.1%
• Toronto Blue Jays -- 84.2%
• Los Angeles Dodgers -- 84.0%

Pitchers Allowing the Most Stolen Bases

Smart fantasy managers stream speed based on daily matchups. Targeting slow-to-the-plate pitchers is the easiest way to exploit the weekly schedule. When these starting pitchers are on the mound, deploy your fringe speed options with confidence.

• Eury Perez, Miami Marlins - 16
• Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins - 10
• Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros - 8
• Dylan Cease, Toronto Blue Jays - 8
• Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels - 8
• Framber Valdez, Detroit Tigers - 8

Catchers With the Best and Worst Caught-Stealing Percentage

A catcher's arm can act as a brick wall or a wide-open gateway. When mapping out your weekly fantasy lineups, look to maximize matchups against the league's weakest arms behind the plate.

Best Caught Stealing Percentage

• Luis Torrens, New York Mets - 50% on 8 attempts
• William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers - 46% on 13 attempts
• Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates - 45% on 11 attempts
• Freddy Fermin, San Diego Padres - 38% on 16 attempts
• Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners 36% on 11 attempts

Worst Caught Stealing Percentage

• Reese McGuire, Chicago White Sox - 0% CS (13 att)
• Drake Baldwin, Atlanta Braves – 7% CS (15 att)
• Drew Millas, Washington Nationals – 7% CS (14 att)
• Nick Fortes, Tampa Bay Rays – 8% CS (26 att)
• Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets – 9% CS (11 att)

MLB Stolen Base Trends and Fantasy Implications

The current baseball environment represents the stabilization of an historic shift in the stolen base category. Ever since the MLB introduced larger bases and limited pitcher disengagements a few years ago, MLB stolen base trends have skyrocketed. 

The 2026 MLB season is witnessing a significant surge in both total stolen base attempts and the volume of successful bags, outstripping the baseline pacing of the last three seasons. Driven by an aggressive early-season climate, data through mid-May highlights a critical distinction for fantasy managers: we are seeing a higher volume of overall stolen bases rather than a massive expansion of new base stealers. Instead of the category being flattened by everyone running, a highly concentrated group of elite speedsters and high-efficiency tactical runners are hoarding the statistical wealth.

However, compared to the initial explosion of speed over the last three seasons, we are seeing crucial micro-trends develop in 2026.

• The Elite Plateau: The era of any random player swiping 30 bags purely due to the rules has normalized. Teams have adjusted their defensive positioning, and pitchers are utilizing better slide-step timing.
• Targeted Streaming: To move the needle in your league today, you must look at specific data points like the ones above. You can no longer rely on general league-wide inflation.
• The Matchup Advantage: Streaming guys like Nasim Nunez, Chandler Simpson, or Jakob Marsee on days they face Eury Perez or a catcher like Nick Fortes is the ultimate fantasy cheat code.

Stolen bases remain an entirely binary stat. Either a player runs or they do not. Because you can acquire pure speed off the fantasy baseball waiver wire for cheap, it remains the easiest category to completely flip in a matter of weeks. Keep this report bookmarked, exploit the catchers who cannot throw, and run your way to the top of your league standings.