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Nasim Nuñez is the first Nationals player to lead the majors in stolen bases

Nasim Nuñez led the majors with 49 steals as a part-timer, and Chandler Simpson, Bobby Witt Jr., Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Pete Crow-Armstrong all topped 40.

Seven players stole at least 35 bases in 2026, and 16 reached 30. The 35-steal club has stayed big since MLB's 2023 rule changes (larger bases and limits on pickoff attempts): nine in 2023, eight in 2024, nine in 2025 and seven this year, after five in 2016, three in 2017, four in 2018, five in 2019, none in the 60-game 2020 season, and two each in 2021 and 2022. The most since 1920 is 21, in 1992.

Steals don't require a minimum number of plate appearances, and the major-league leader proved it: Nasim Nuñez stole 49 in a part-time role. Chandler Simpson was second with 46 and Bobby Witt Jr. third with 45. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the only member of the group who is a free agent this winter.

Nasim Nuñez, 2B — Washington Nationals: 49 stolen bases

Nuñez led the majors in 493 plate appearances, getting caught 10 times, and is the franchise’s first stolen-base leader since Marquis Grissom led for the Montreal Expos in 1992. For the second year in a row, the stolen-base leader came to the plate fewer than 500 times; José Caballero led in 2025 with 49 in 370 plate appearances. Before that, it had been done only by Cool Papa Bell in 1926 and 1929, in the Negro National League; Pete Reiser in 1946; Tim Raines in the 1981 strike season; and Jon Berti in 2022. Nuñez did it while hitting .209/.291/.244 with one home run. Reaching first was the hard part; once he got there, he rarely stayed long. Washington finished 77-85.

Chandler Simpson, LF — Tampa Bay Rays: 46 stolen bases

Simpson followed his 44-steal debut season with 46 more and again hit no home runs. All of his trots are full sprints. He is the first player since Otis Nixon in 1994 and 1995 with back-to-back seasons of 40 steals and zero homers. Simpson hit .306, fourth among qualified hitters, and ranked sixth in the majors in baserunning value at 7.2 runs. His 13.4% Hard-Hit rate was the second-lowest among qualified hitters, but he outperformed his expected numbers by the third-widest margin among qualified hitters. The Rays had the American League's best record at 98-64, swept the Yankees in the Division Series, beat Cleveland in six games in the ALCS and are playing Milwaukee in the World Series.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS — Kansas City Royals: 45 stolen bases

Witt has stolen at least 30 bases in all five of his big-league seasons, and his 45 were his most since 49 in 2023. He led the majors in baserunning value (9.3 runs) and ranked second in fWAR (7.0), behind only Pete Crow-Armstrong, fifth in defense at +32 (eight Defensive Runs Saved and 24 Outs Above Average) and tied for fourth in maximum exit velocity (117.2 mph). He hit .281/.359/.441 with 18 home runs. The Royals finished 69-93.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B — New York Yankees: 41 stolen bases

Chisholm, a free agent this winter, reached 40 steals for the second time in three seasons, after 40 in 2024. He added 19 home runs and hit .231/.312/.399, and he ranked ninth in the majors in baserunning value (5.8 runs). The Yankees went 93-68, beat Boston in the Wild Card Series and were swept by Tampa Bay in the Division Series.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF — Chicago Cubs: 41 stolen bases

Crow-Armstrong's 41 steals, tied for fourth, made his 45-homer season the seventh 40/40 season in history. He was caught only seven times, ranked fourth in baserunning value (8.2 runs), and also led the majors in fWAR (10.6) and defense (+41). The Cubs went 89-73 and were swept by San Diego in the Wild Card Series.

Fernando Tatis Jr., RF — San Diego Padres: 38 stolen bases

Tatis set a career high in steals, passing the 32 he stole in 2025, and paired them with 25 home runs, a .289/.358/.470 line and a 131 wRC+. He ranked sixth in Hard-Hit rate (53.9%), ninth in fWAR (5.4) and 10th in average exit velocity (92.9 mph). San Diego went 91-71, swept the Cubs in the Wild Card Series and lost to Milwaukee in four games in the Division Series.

José Ramírez, 3B — Cleveland Guardians: 37 stolen bases

At 33, Ramírez topped 35 steals for the third straight season, after 41 in 2024 and 44 in 2025, and he was the most efficient base stealer in this group, caught only four times in 41 tries. He ranked seventh in the majors in baserunning value (7.1 runs), though he hit just .235 with 12 home runs. Cleveland won the AL Central at 85-77, beat the White Sox in the Division Series and lost to Tampa Bay in the ALCS.

The rest of the 30-steal club

Nine more players reached 30. CJ Abrams (34 steals, 33 homers) of the Nationals and Elly De La Cruz (30 steals, 30 homers) of the Reds both had 30/30 seasons. Otto Lopez of the Marlins stole 34 while hitting .305 and posting 5.9 fWAR. Esteury Ruiz, also of the Marlins, stole 34 in just 255 plate appearances, and the Yankees' José Caballero, last year's leader, added 34. Jake McCarthy of the Rockies stole 32 and ranked third in baseball in baserunning value. Oneil Cruz of the Pirates and David Hamilton of the Brewers each stole 30, and so did Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor.