WAVE SB Leaders

Using the WAVE projections for batters, here are the top 25 players in SB, ranked in order.

RANK	PLAYER	SB	RANK	PLAYER	SB
1	Jose Reyes	71	14	Ryan Theriot	34
2	Michael Bourn	62	16	Julio Lugo	33
3	Juan Pierre	61	16	Brandon Phillips	33
4	Chone Figgins	54	16	Dave Roberts	33
5	Carl Crawford	53	19	Rafael Furcal	32
5	Hanley Ramirez	53	19	BJ Upton	32
7	Brian Roberts	42	21	Felipe Lopez	30
7	Shane Victorino	42	21	Cameron Maybin	30
9	Carlos Gomez	40	21	Nate McLouth	30
9	Jimmy Rollins	40	22	Rajai Davis	29
11	Eric Byrnes	38	22	Kazuo Matsui	29
11	Ichiro Suzuki	38	22	Rickie Weeks	29
13	Willy Taveras	37	22	Chris Young	29
14	Jacoby Ellsbury	34

Analysis:

• Is Michael Bourn a poor man's Juan Pierre, or is Juan Pierre a poor man's Michael Bourn? WAVE has Michael out-stealing Juan 62-61. Any way you slice it, Bourn looks to be a good value pick for steals and runs in '08, as discussed here, and here.
• WAVE is projecting improvement across the board for Shane Victorino in 2008. He's a four category sleeper, and has an ADP of 119.65, falling behind the likes of 2007 disappointments Vernon Wells, and Jason Bay.
• Carlos Gomez won't wow you in any other category in his first full season, but the man that is faster than Jose Reyes should be able to provide some good SB numbers for cheap.
• Don't pay for a 50 SB man in Eric Byrnes, as it's doubtful he'll ever reach the plateau again.
• Many are picking Jacoby Ellsbury as an over-valued player heading into the season, and while the center field situation in Boston still hasn't resolved itself, Ellsbury should still provide a good amount of steals in whatever role he is in.
• It's looking like Ryan Theriot will bat leadoff for the Cubs, boosting his fantasy value immensely. Runs and SB should come in bunches.
• Cameron Maybin, much like Carlos Gomez, probably won't do much other than run in year one. A good source for cheap steals in non-leeper leagues, however, keeper league owners will likely have to pay a premium to acquire him.
• Nate McLouth should run away with the center field job in Pittsburgh, and is an excellent sleeper as a player who should help in three categories.
• Rajai Davis may platoon with Dave Roberts in San Francisco, but even in a lesser role, he's a threat to swipe 30.