If the world's fastest man played baseball, would he ever be thrown out trying to steal a base?

Question

If the world's fastest man played baseball, would he ever be thrown out trying to steal a base?

Answer 1

Yes he would, you can't always get a good jump and they're some beastly catchers out there. Because think about the math. A baseball throw it approximately 5 times faster than running so 2 throws and he gunned down. But he would have a nasty stealing percentage.

Answer 2

this is a pretty thought provocking question and I am gonna take a different posistion. Of course he'd get thrown out some even if he was good at reading a pitcher like Ricky henderson was. But the worlds fastest man is not much faster in a 28 yard dash than henderson, probably about 1 stride. So we know world class 40 time is about 4.1 seconds which should equate to under 3 seconds sprinting from your lead-off spot of first to second. we know that he can leave as soon as the pitcher starts his motion and a real fast fastball gets to the plate in .40 seconds. the catcher's ball almost always takes at least a second to get to second. so that means the pitcher must go throw his motion and the catcher must catch it and release it in under 1.5 seconds combined to throw out a world class runner. I would say if the runner always got a great lead, one of which he's far enough away that even he is quick enough to get back (not considering left handers ) always read the pitcher well and always was at the top of his game it should always be very close and most times he should win, but time wise if the pitcher goes through a slide step he should get the ball to the plate in a managable amount of time to beat the runner with a perfect throw to second

Answer 3

well...quite a few of the fastest people on earth have played this game...and if they played more than a few games and tried to steal regularly, they all got thrown out sometimes...brock, wills, henderson...you name the guy...

obviously speed and baserunning skills have a lot to do with it...guys like johnny bench and adam dunn have reached as many as 18 steals in a row, and we're not talking the back end of double steals...

so the point is, even relatively slower players get in on the act now and then...a lot depends on situations, the other team, etc...

but no...no one can steal successfully everytime...

Answer 4

There is more than just speed that goes into stealing a base. For example the amount of time it takes a pitcher to get rid of the ball, the pitch the pitcher is throwing, the way the catcher receives the ball and how quickly he is able to get rid of the ball, the accuracy and strength and strength of the throw. It also helps the base runner to get a jump off the pitcher. Speed will help overcome these things, however even the fastest and best base runners get thrown out sometimes. So even the fastest man would occasionally be thrown out.

Answer 5

Herb Washington was a world class sprinter Charlie Finley hired as a pinch runner in the 74 and 75 seasons. Yes, he was thrown out, 17 times in 48 attempts. Not great at all.

Answer 6

Yes he would be thrown out, but not everytime.  Just because you're considered the fastest doesn't mean you're safe.  He would have to get a great jump and read from the pitcher without being pickoffed if he made the wrong decision.  Plus even if he did get a great jump, the catcher may have a cannon for an arm and just because you're the fastest doesn't mean you are safe.

Answer 7

Yes.

Stealing bases is not just about speed.  There is a technique to it.

Willy Taveras is extremely fast and so is Michael Bourn.  They often get caught stealing.

Answer 8

I'd say if the question included the phrase "would he EVER be thrown out", I'd say yes. You'd have to say that at some point in the man's entire career, he'd get thrown out at least once. Maybe he gets a bad read on the pitcher, or a catcher phenom with a rocket arm.

Answer 9

Yes infact he would alot (this is if he doesnt know the basics of the game) he would simply get picked off