The Tribune

By RENALDO

DORSETT

Tribune Sports

Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

CHAMP Stuart has been highly regarded in the New York Mets organisation for his baserunning ability and he continues to impress with his numbers at his latest assignment.

Stuart currently leads the Double-A Eastern League with 17 stolen bases for the Binghampton Rumble Ponies and is third among players in all of the three Double-A leagues.

He currently stands behind Mauricio Dubon of the Biloxi Shuckers in the Southern League with 23 and the Arkansas Travelers' Ian Miller who leads the Texas League with 20.

He was recently featured by WBNG for his baserunning prowess in a segment called "The Art of Stealing Bases."

WBNG is the CBS affiliate for the Binghamton Television Market which serves the Southern Tier of New York.

Stuart outlined his base stealing process that has made him one of the most feared runners in the league.

"The first step is to get to the bag, make eye contact with your coach, and anticipate the game, read the pitcher," he said. "It starts from in the clubhouse you have to do your homework on him."

Stuart last recorded a stolen base on May 26 but has gone three games without a successful attempt.

"I take my lead, which is basically a step and a dive back," he said. "From then I'm looking at the pitcher, analysing whether his first move comes from his upper body or lower body.

"If he moves his foot first it's most likely a pick off move. Sometimes I go on the first pitch, depending on how fast he is to the plate or sometimes I wait and it's based on what he moves first. I always stay in motion so I'm never completely still, then I make my break."

Despite his top-ranked stolen base numbers, Stuart looks to improve his numbers at the plate, which have dipped in May.

Through 33 games, Stuart hit .191 with 13 runs scored an OPS of .569 and two home runs.

Stuart had a late surge in April where he was awarded the Eastern League Player of the Week Award.

After a brief adjustment period to Double-A, he settled in to become a standout, not just for the Rumble Ponies, but in the entire league.

Through a four-game stretch, he hit .455/.519/.909 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, five RBI, six runs, and five stolen bases to earn the award.

Stuart swiped 40 bases across two levels in 2016, and he told 12 Sports before this season that his goal was 100 stolen base attempts in 2017.

In 2016 he had a season of several milestones, including an appearance as a pinch runner in the final Grapefruit League game for the Mets in spring training and a stellar season with the Port St Lucie Mets in Single-A Advanced, which led to a Double-A call-up with Binghamton.

Through 114 games in both leagues, Stuart hit .240 with 34 RBI and eight home runs.

He has also totaled an OBP of .319, slugging percentage of .349 an OPS of .663 and his aforementioned 40 stolen bases.