IL1 Indianapolis Indians

d'Arnaud on the Go

July 1, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- When Chase d'Arnaud took off for second base in Saturday's ninth inning against the Louisville Bats, it was the Indianapolis infielder's 20th stolen base attempt of the season; when he slide in safely, d'Arnaud had done something no other International League baserunner has been able to accomplish in 2012, stealing his 20th base of the season without a caught stealing.

d'Arnaud's 20th steal moved him into second place in the IL standings, trailing only Gwinnett Braves outfielder Luis Durango, who paces the league with 28 stolen bases. However, Durango managed just nine straight steals to start the season before being thrown out, and has been caught nine times in total.

The Indians speedster's success this season is no fluke. While there are both good base stealers and fast baserunners, d'Arnaud considers himself to be a mix of the two -- and he has proven it in his five-and-a-half professional seasons, racking up 120 career steals and 28 triples in the minor leagues.

d'Arnaud also recorded 12 steals and two triples during a 48-game stint the in major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2011 season.

Being so successful takes more than God-given talent, however. A lot of work and preparation go into being a proficient base stealer.

"I've just paid a lot of attention to pitchers and worked a lot with [Pittsburgh Pirates minor league baserunning coordinator Kimera Bartee] over the past four or five years now," d'Arnaud said. "I think that you steal off the pitcher and not necessarily the catcher at this level. If you pay enough attention, you'll pick up little nuances in the baserunning game."

d'Arnaud said those nuances are too numerous to try to list in one sitting. While preparation is key to base stealing, instinct is important, too.

"You've got to have some feel when it comes to the scoreboard," d'Arnaud said. "I mean, you're not going to steal when it's 7-0 or something like that. The time's got to be right and you've got to know who's hitting. I take into account whether there's a lefty or a righty up, patterns, counts, there are just so many facets [to stealing]."

This season, d'Arnaud seems to have the art of base stealing down to a science. And despite being hampered by a couple of injuries -- twice missing significant time due to ailments -- d'Arnaud has kept on running. His steal on Saturday night was his first in a span of seven games, the longest steal-less stretch since going six straight games without a steal May 11-16.

Following that six-game span, d'Arnaud went on a stolen-base tear, stealing five bases in four games.

During his most recent drought, d'Arnaud had seen a couple of chances go to waste in the last few games of the Tribe's last homestand. Six times it appeared he had a base stolen, only to be foiled by a foul ball or a ball four or, once, a two-run home run by Indians outfielder Starling Marte.

d'Arnaud said he doesn't focus on missed opportunities.

"I just don't even think about it," d'Arnaud said. "It's just another chance gone by. It's not a big deal."

He also said he doesn't plan to steal a certain number of bases in any given stretch or season, and instead just focuses on doing what he can in the situations with which he's presented. He does, however, plan to keep running.

"I don't have any goals, per se," d'Arnaud said. "I'm just going to keep stealing and whatever happens, happens."

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