Mythbusters: Swing and a Steal, Part I

From the silver screen to screening the catcher: do swings and misses boost stolen base success rates?

As we at Oyster Analytics have apparently unconsciously developed an obsession with base running, this week we turn to stolen bases. We’ll once again give you the ten-second version up front:

Does swinging really help runners steal more effectively?

No, not really.

How have the rule changes affected this, if at all?

That is a much harder question to answ…