GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Why should stolen-base totals be read alongside caught-stealing totals?
A stolen-base total counts only advances the official scorer credits as steals. Caught stealing records attempts that end with the runner out, while stolen-base percentage compares credited steals with total attempts. Read the event count and the rate together, and remember that scoring rules determine which advances count as attempts.
For Baseball readers comparing a runner's baserunning line · Updated
A stolen base is a scored event
A runner is credited with a stolen base only when the official scorer determines that the runner was attempting to steal and meets the scoring rule. Advancing on a wild pitch or passed ball is not automatically a steal, and a base conceded through defensive indifference is not scored as one.
That makes the stolen-base total a count of successful credited events. It does not, by itself, reveal how often the runner tried and was put out.
Caught stealing and SB% show the other side
Caught stealing applies when a runner attempts a steal and is tagged out before reaching the next base. It does not include every out while a runner is moving: for example, an out while advancing on a wild pitch or a pickoff while diving back is scored differently.
MLB defines stolen-base percentage as steals divided by total attempts. The rate helps distinguish frequent successful attempts from a larger steal count that came with more outs, but it does not guarantee what a runner will do next.
Two fictional attempt ledgers
Hypothetical example: Runner A and Runner B each have 6 credited steals. A also has 4 caught stealings across 10 official attempts, a 60% rate; B has 1 caught stealing across 7 attempts, about 85.7%. Their steal totals match, but their attempt outcomes differ. Neither line predicts a future attempt.
Related questions
Does every extra base taken count as a stolen base?
No. The official scorer must determine that the runner was attempting to steal, and scoring exceptions include advances credited to a wild pitch, passed ball, error or defensive indifference.
Does caught stealing include every runner who is put out on the bases?
No. The runner must have been attempting to steal; an out while advancing on a wild pitch or passed ball is not a caught stealing.