No one is ever going to confuse Stephen Vogt with any of the legendary speedsters in Oakland A’s history. However, he did show off his wheels on Thursday.
The A’s were holding a 6-2 lead over the Angels in the top of the third with Vogt on first base. He surprisingly took off for second, stealing the base without a throw for the fifth stolen base of his career.
After his 5th career steal today in the 3rd inning, Stephen Vogt is now 1401 behind Rickey Henderson😂
— A's Cast (@athleticscast24) August 4, 2022
🗣: @vincebaseball & @KenKorachRadio pic.twitter.com/kgct3v8fBJ
Oakland A’s get more than stolen base from Stephen Vogt
Vogt is obviously not a threat to Rickey Henderson. That was just the tenth stolen base attempt of his career, and he has spent parts of ten seasons in the majors. It was also his first stolen base attempt since 2019, when he somehow managed to swipe three bases in four attempts.
But that attempt was about more than just the stolen base. It showed that the A’s, despite their putrid record and the constant selloffs to save as much money as possible, are still playing hard. Mark Kotsay has gotten the team to buy in and band together, no small feat for a franchise that is going to be playing out the string for the foreseeable future.
It helps that culture in the clubhouse, and to get younger players to buy in, when they see someone such as Vogt still hustling. He is a 37 year old former two time All Star with the end of his career in sight on a team that is going nowhere. It would be easy to just pack it in, collect his paycheck, and dream of the golf course in October.
Instead, he is out there, trying to find a way to help the A’s win a meaningless game in August. The Angels are not going anywhere either, so it is not as though they were playing spoilers. However, for the future of the organization, Vogt’s stolen base had a purpose.
Stephen Vogt stole the fifth base of his career on Thursday. It also sent a reminder to the younger players on the Oakland A’s about buying in.