Where have you gone, Vince Coleman?

Base stealing is something of a lost art in the major leagues. Long gone are the days when Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman were tearing up the basepaths - we haven't seen anyone crack the 80-steal mark since Henderson (93) and Coleman (81) led their respective leagues in swipes in 1988.

Teams are running less frequently than they did in the free-wheeling '80s, which has made the stolen base category so vital in fantasy baseball.

That explains why multi-talented speed merchants Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford and Ichiro Suzuki are considered elite fantasy stars, and why speedsters such as Shane Victorino (32 steals) and Brian Roberts (32), who also contribute in other hitting categories, are useful commodities.


There are, of course, some other fringe players who tend to be overvalued simply because of their wheels. Depending on where you stand in your league's stolen base category (and excluding those in head-to-head leagues), the way you handle these types of players can ultimately determine your fate.

At this point in the season, you should have a good idea of where you stand in each category and if you'll be able to make a move upward. If you're lagging far behind in steals, what's the sense in holding on to a mostly one-dimensional base stealer? On the flip side, if you think you can actually make up ground in stolen bases, that one dimension might be just what you're looking for.

Wherever you stand in steals, here are a few of the key guys to consider either picking up or trading away for help elsewhere:

• Juan Pierre (44 steals through Saturday): The Dodgers outfielder has long been prized for his running abilities, but he hasn't really mastered hitting, particularly this year. His .277 batting average isn't terrible, but his 27 RBIs and zero home runs are.

• Willy Taveras (29): A move to the Colorado Rockies and Coors Field this season helped the quick Taveras also become a batting-average booster (.317). That makes his "power" numbers (two homers, 22 RBIs) a bit easier to swallow.

• Chone Figgins (28): It's almost an identical story for Figgins, who's hitting a robust .339 but has little to no power (1 HR, 37 RBIs). He got off to a very slow start for the Angels but has stayed hot throughout the summer months, so the hits and steals should both keep coming.

• Julio Lugo (26): The high-priced shortstop acquisition was looking like a colossal bust for the Boston Red Sox. His average had dipped to an almost-unfathomable .189 on July 2, which despite his steady stolen base total forced some owners to outright drop him. Lugo has raised his average to a less putrid .222 thanks to a sizzling month. If he's still available, or if you've put up with him all this time, it seems he'll no longer be a disaster at the plate.

• Corey Patterson (28): Patterson had a nice bounce-back season last year, his first with the Baltimore Orioles, thanks mainly to a career high in steals (45), along with 16 home runs. Patterson's still running this year, but he's gone yard only five times, which isn't exactly what his owners had in mind.

Three favorite words in sports

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS is less than a month away, which means it's already time to get geared up for some fantasy baseball. I'm located in a prime spot here in the Sunshine State for some spring training action, so hopefully I'll be able to bring you the inside scoop on some major league camps in the near future. But for now, here are a few random thoughts on some offseason moves and how they'll impact the fantasy game:

Randy Johnson to Diamondbacks: It's no secret the Big Unit has been on a sharp decline the past two years. In 2006, his strikeouts were way down (although his 172 still put him in the top 20 in the league) and his ERA was way up (5.01). He still managed to win 17 games, but much of that was due to the tremendous run support he got from the Yankees, a blessing he likely won't enjoy in Arizona. So why should we even bother with the 43-year-old? Well, at the risk of sounding like some sort of male enhancement commercial, a comfortable Johnson should be a productive Johnson. Moving west, Randy should benefit by facing weaker NL offenses (It seems like ages ago, but he had a 2.60 ERA in 2004, his last year with the D-Backs). Factor in offseason back surgery and being closer to his family's home and farther from the pressure cooker that is New York, and the Unit could help your team in '07, provided you don't pay too much for him.

CF Willy Taveras to Rockies: There's no question Willy, acquired from the Astros in the Jason Jennings deal, can help you in the steals department. He's got wheels (34 and 33 stolen bases the past two years) and should be batting leadoff for the Rocks in '07. But the move to Coors Field and a spot in what should be a potent lineup is what really raises his stock. Of course, so far he's basically been a singles hitter with no pop (four HRs and 59 RBIs in two full seasons) and awful plate discipline (103 strikeouts/25 walks in '05; 88/34 in '06). His speed will help you, but if he can ever start figuring out how to get on base more often he could become a special player.

Relievers Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez to Braves: Blown saves were probably the biggest contributor in Atlanta's fall from the top of the NL East last season. In fact, their bullpen probably supplied TBS with more laughs than all those crappy Sex and the City reruns. That'll change this year. Their acquisition of veteran truck-driver impersonator Bob Wickman gave them a legit closer, and the acquisition of two young power arms in righty Soriano and lefty Gonzalez creates a serious bullpen. In deep leagues, both will help you in the strikeout department and ERA, and Soriano in WHIP (1.08 in 60 innings last year). But here's the best part: one of them will be closing for Atlanta, either in '08 or earlier if Wickman doesn't hold up.

SS Julio Lugo to Red Sox: The past few years Lugo's been one of those guys near the top of the waiver wire around midseason, just begging to help somebody. His numbers were a bit down last year, but he was injured and also split the season between the Devil Rays and Dodgers. Now he's back in the AL East and could be batting leadoff for a powerful Sox offense. He's a career .277 hitter and no Miguel Tejada, but he's put up some decent totals in runs, RBIs and even homers (15 in '03) in the past, and you might even expect career numbers in those categories. He's also got above-average speed (39 steals in '05, who knew?), but expect a dip since the Sox don't really believe much in stolen bases.