In fantasy baseball, categories like home runs and strikeouts require overwhelming raw talent that is hard to find on the waiver wire. However, stolen bases operate under a completely different set of rules and looking at raw speed isn’t enough. Garrett Mitchell is one of the fastest players in baseball but is only 14-for-23 on the basepaths. Meanwhile, Josh Naylor is the second slowest player in all of baseball and is 29-for-36 in steals (went 30-for-32 last season). It remains the most volatile and movable category in both rotisserie and head-to-head (H2H) leagues.

While elite, high-draft-capital speedsters provide a safe statistical floor, you do not have to rely solely on blockbuster trades to win the category. Instead, sharp managers use a weekly MLB stolen base report to stream speed. With base stealing relying on so many different factors; exploiting a slow pitching delivery, a catcher with a poor pop-time, or team strategy, you can add stolen bases to your team from some under-the-radar roster additions. 

The strategy requires anchoring your roster with proven speed while identifying the optimal windows to stream role players from your fantasy baseball waiver wire. Grounded in data up to September 18, 2026, this comprehensive blueprint highlights the trends, leaders, and targets to help you dominate the basepaths. Let’s dive into who are good stolen base options for the upcoming week. 

 

 

 

MLB Stolen Base Leaders as of September 18th, 2026

The elite tier of speed features players who possess a permanent green light regardless of the matchup. In rotisserie formats, these anchors keep you competitive, while in H2H leagues, they can single-handedly win you the category in any given week.

Not a ton of movement on our stolen base leaderboard from last week’s MLB Stolen Base Report. Nasim Nunez remains on top and we are seeing Jazz fall down the board while he has been on the IL with Bobby Witt jumping him into the 3rd spot. We also have Jake McCarthy joining the leaderboard tying Esteury Ruiz and joining the 30 SB club. I think we will see a few more get to 30 steals still, and it seems only a matter of time before PCA joins the 40-40 club.

MLB Teams Attempting the Most Stolen Bases

To project future speed production, checking individual player talent is only half the battle; understanding managerial philosophy is just as critical. It doesn’t matter how fast a player is, if the team doesn’t like to run, they just won’t get the opportunity to get your steals. Teams that sit at the top of the MLB stolen base report for total attempts show an organizational commitment to aggressive baserunning, and at this point in the season if they have shown a commitment to run (or not run) that is unlikely to change. 

The Tampa Bay Rays remain on top of the leaderboard, but the Nationals are still the best stolen base team in baseball with great efficiency with their volume with 10 more steals than the Rays. The rest of the leaderboard holds the same, but we have a tight grouping between 3rd and 6th place. We are still seeing some more steals across the league with the infusion of more speed and youth as the season goes on and with September call ups, and that trend should continue through the end of the season. You can check the match-ups against specific teams/catchers using our Daily Stolen Base Prop Finder as well as the daily stolen base prop article.

 

MLB Teams with the Highest Stolen Base Success Rate

High volume is excellent for counting stats, but poor efficiency can stall an offense and prompt a manager to turn off the green light. Fantasy managers must prioritize players on teams that maximize their opportunities. Efficient base running teams can be a great place to look for steals because they likely be more overlooked than the teams with high volume. 

The Washington Nationals remain at 6th place for efficiency which is impressive combined with being 2nd in attempts. The Toronto Blue Jays remain on this leaderboard but with only 75 steals it just doesn’t mean much because you can’t rely on them to run much. If you need some steals these teams that are in the playoff hunt could continue to be the more aggressive teams that try to push the envelope and win games any way they can. Keep an eye on teams out of the hunt as well, if they are giving September call ups with speed some playing time to end the season there could be some sneaky spots to pick up some steals near the end of the season. 

 

 

 

Pitchers Allowing the Most Stolen Bases

Savvy fantasy managers understand that base runners frequently steal off the pitcher rather than the catcher. Tracking slow deliveries, high leg kicks, and subpar pickoff moves highlights the ideal matchups to exploit. These starting pitchers have surrendered the most stolen bases across the major leagues this season:

You can see how often these pitchers have been targeted in the daily stolen base prop article. Some more than others, but keep in mind that their catchers play an even more important role. Below you’ll see the best and worst of catchers but also take note of the pitchers’ talent levels. Cease and Eury continue to lead this board by a wide margin, but they are also good enough to not worry so much about giving up stolen bases. Targeting pitchers like Burns, Ryan or Rasmussen can be difficult, simply because they don’t allow many baserunners so it can be hard to predict if players will get any opportunities to steal against them. This can also help you see teams to target that have multiple players up on this list like the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants. 

 

Catchers With the Best and Worst Caught-Stealing Percentage

When validating an individual MLB stolen base report, checking the defensive metrics behind the plate serves as your final layer of security. Statcast metrics illustrate a stark divide between elite defensive anchors and catchers struggling to limit opposing runners. Our new stolen base prop finder will reveal exactly who to target and who to avoid. (minimum of 10 SB attempts against):

Best Caught Stealing Percentage

Worst Caught Stealing Percentage

 

 

 

MLB Stolen Base Trends and Fantasy Implications

It doesn’t take a lot of digging to see that stolen bases are easier to come by than ever, with some of the highest stolen base success rates that we have ever seen. The rule changes of the pitch clock, limited pitcher disengagements, and widening the bases have made stealing bases easier than ever and with teams embracing analytics they have gotten much better at knowing when to run to keep their efficiency at an all-time high while still running more often.  

For fantasy managers this means stolen bases are easier to find than ever before, but this also means you need way more stolen bases than you used to. You can no longer rely on 15 stolen bases from your roster to keep you afloat in rotisserie standings. With efficiency up across the league, managers are giving more players the freedom to run if the matchup dictates it. This creates a perfect environment for streaming tier-two or tier-three speed options who sit on your league's waiver wire.

Top Teams to Target for SBs This Coming Week:

To gain an edge for the upcoming matchups beginning September 21, 2026, we look at the intersection of aggressive team tendencies and vulnerable opponent defense. Looking closely at the MLB stolen base report allows us to pinpoint the best teams to target for streaming speed:

  • Miami Marlins (vs Chicago Cubs/Atlanta Braves): The Marlins continue to be one of the most aggressive teams on the basepaths and this week gives them two matchups that will give them lots of opportunities to run without great catching defense on either team. We could see them threaten the Rays and Nationals at the top of the stolen base attempt leaderboard this week. 
  • Tampa Bay Rays (vs. New York Yankees): The Rays will continue to run wild no matter who they are playing but the Yankees give them great opportunities to grab more stolen bases this week. The Phillies are a little tougher matchup to end the week with Realmuto and Stubbs behind the plate, but they should get some steals against them as well.
  • Milwaukee Brewers (vs St. Louis Cardinals): The Brewers also face the Phillies this week to start things off but then they get one of the best teams to run on in the Cardinals to end the week. Ivan Herrera remains at the bottom of the caught stealing leaderboard and the Brewers will likely capitalize on that this week.