(1/10 thread): Ever see a play like this and wonder how often it happens?

2/ The answer is 612 times. That's how often a hitter reached 2nd Base on a Single last year.

Now, not all of those plays are the same. Sometimes the defense allows the hitter to take 2B with a bad throw. Sometimes a different runner is thrown out on another base, etc.

3/ It can certainly be a combination of hustle by the offense and mistake by the defense. But, the bottom line is that these types of plays matter. They result in one more runner in scoring position.

4/ The hitter in the video is Yolmer Sanchez. He took 2B on a Single without any errors or putouts 5 times last year. That was tied with Victor Robles (Nats) for most in the league.

This is just one of many "LITTLE Things" in the game that can add up to big things.

5/ The original list of 612 plays is reduced down to 242 when we weed out the plays that involve defensive miscues and putouts on other bases. It equates to a little over 2% of all singles that take place with runners on base (which is when these plays happen).

6/ Below are two graphs (hitting team perspective and pitching team / defense perspective), both from the 2019 season.

Which teams were the best / worst at taking second base on singles?

7/ And, which teams allowed their opponents to take 2B on singles most/least often?

8/ OBSERVATIONS

1. The Dbacks were really good on both sides of this. They gained 15 extra bases on these types of plays offensively, and they gave away only 3 on defense. That 12 Base net was best in the league (Dodgers 10 and Phillies 7 were next).

9/ 2. The Giants allowed hitters to take second base on a Single 16 times, and only took second base themselves 3 times. That net -13 bases was worst in the league (Cardinals -9, Braves and Padres -7 were next).

10/ If anyone would like to study the Run Impact or Win Impact of these plays, let us know. We can send over some data.

We'll be using #TheLittleThings hashtag on future posts like these. / end