Let's get something straight right from the jump: the stolen-base category in fantasy baseball is less a footrace and more a permission slip.
It's June 2026, and the managers winning their leagues' speed categories aren't necessarily the ones who drafted the fastest guys. They're the ones who identified which players were climbing the SB boards early in the season. But they may not know why that was happening or, more importantly, which players are primed to unexpectedly swipe bags in the season's final four months.
The proof is everywhere this season. Jake Mangum , a former 30th-round pick who has played for six organizations, is leading the Pittsburgh Pirates in steals. Xavier Edwards is running at a pace that makes him look like a third-round fantasy pick despite more modest sprint-speed numbers. And Nasim Nuñez is leading the entire major leagues in stolen bases despite a batting average that would make your fantasy team's hitting ratios flinch.
These aren't necessarily the fastest players in baseball. They're the most trusted. If your roster decisions rely solely on sprint-speed rankings, you are handing a winnable category to someone who reads the dugout better than the spreadsheet.
Sprint speed percentile is a blunt instrument. It measures how fast someone can run, period. It tells you nothing about how often a manager actually lets them run. A player at the 55th percentile of sprint speed who bats first for a run-starved lineup with a manager who loves small ball is infinitely more fantasy-relevant than a 90th-percentile speedster buried in the six-hole behind three home-run hitters.
The 2026 season has made this gap more visible than ever. The current MLB stolen-base leader is Nasim Nuñez of the Washington Nationals , who is sitting at 22 steals while hitting .193. He's running because he is a one-dimensional baserunning weapon. That organizational desperation is not a red flag for fantasy managers. It's an asset. Here's the original take I'll put my name on: the 2026 rules around pitcher disengagements have made delivery times more exploitable for teams that emphasize baserunning instincts over raw athleticism. Managers who drill this stuff are manufacturing steals with players who would've been held in any other era. Most preseason 2026 fantasy baseball stolen base projections did not fully account for how aggressively certain staffs would adapt to these rules.
Nasim Nuñez continues generating category impact through opportunity, aggression, and organizational commitment.Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Nasim Nuñez, SS, Washington Nationals (22 SB)
Nuñez is the most important name on this list because he is exhibit A for the entire argument. His sprint speed is legitimately elite, sitting near the 98th percentile, so the raw tools are real. He went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases in a May win over the Marlins. His batting average will make your fantasy team's hitting stats uncomfortable, but if you are desperate for steals and not in an OBP league, he is a must-add.
Jake Mangum, LF, Pittsburgh Pirates (10 SB)
Mangum is a 30th-round pick who has played for six organizations and is somehow one of the best stolen-base sources on a Pirates team that desperately needs to manufacture every run it can. Pittsburgh has decided that his baserunning intelligence is worth a standing green light, and the results have backed it up. He is not here because he is one of the fastest players in baseball. He is here because his manager trusts him completely and the Pirates have no better option. For a team that loses close games regularly, Mangum's ability to take bases without a formal sign is a feature, not a coincidence. Check out the 2026 fantasy outfield rankings to see where he fits relative to his production.
Xavier Edwards, 2B, Miami Marlins (10 SB)
Edwards had 27 stolen bases in 2025 and is already at 10 through early June, stealing his 10th base on June 2nd. His sprint speed is solid but unremarkable for someone running at this rate. What is remarkable is the Marlins' offensive structure. Miami lacks power throughout the lineup, which means Edwards is consistently batting in spots where his manager rewards aggression on the bases. He is getting green lights because the organization needs what he can provide, and he is delivering consistently. His production makes him a relative bargain who still costs less in trades than his steal totals deserve.
Jakob Marsee , CF, Miami Marlins (14 SB)
Marsee has actually been the more productive stolen-base source of the two Marlins on this list, sitting at 14 steals with a four-steal game back in April that announced his presence. The FanGraphs profile on him describes a player who earns extra bases at every level, and Miami has rewarded that track record with consistent baserunning opportunities. Two players from one team on this list is not a coincidence. It is an organizational philosophy, and that philosophy is your fantasy edge.
Pete Crow-Armstrong , CF, Chicago Cubs (12 SB)
The Cubs built their entire offensive identity around PCA's ability to get on base and move. He collected 12 stolen bases through his first 33 games, which is a rate that would put him well past 50 on the season. His sprint speed is genuine, but what separates him from other fast players is that the Cubs have explicitly structured his lineup spot to maximize his baserunning opportunities. He bats near the top of the order in games where Chicago needs him to set the table, and the green light is consistent and unconditional.
Brice Turang , 2B, Milwaukee Brewers (10 SB)
Turang stole 50 bases in 2024 before cooling to 24 in 2025, and now sits at 10 through the first two months of 2026. Managers in your league have likely written him off as a regression story, which is exactly when you want to be adding him. The Brewers remain one of the most steal-friendly organizations in baseball, and Turang's green light has not been revoked despite the slower pace. His approach has been more selective this year after getting caught eight times in 2025, which is a good sign for efficiency going forward. Buy low now before he goes on a three-week tear that doubles his total.
Chandler Simpson , OF, Tampa Bay Rays (projected 41 SB for season)
Simpson is the stealth name on this list. Tampa Bay has long been one of the most analytically progressive organizations when it comes to baserunning, and Simpson is their latest vessel for that philosophy. The Rays study pitcher delivery times the way other organizations study exit velocity, and Simpson is the beneficiary of that institutional knowledge. His projected 41 steals for the season would make him one of the best stolen-base sources in fantasy baseball, and his current ADP does not yet reflect that ceiling.
Jake McCarthy , OF, Colorado Rockies (10 SB)
McCarthy was explicitly identified before the season as a player who would have a permanent green light in 2026 as long as he was getting at-bats. His career-high SB total is 26 and he's about on pace for that. He is the kind of player whose stolen-base production follows directly from organizational culture rather than raw athleticism, which is the whole point of this column. If you are looking for a mid-season waiver add with stolen-base upside, McCarthy belongs on your radar alongside the other names here as June 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire targets .
Bobby Witt Jr. , SS, Kansas City Royals (19 SB)
Witt is the one player on this list who genuinely earns his steals on both raw speed and organizational support, so he is a slight exception to the borrowed-speed premise. But he belongs here because Kansas City has built its entire offensive identity around his ability to manufacture runs, meaning his green light is less a case-by-case manager decision and more a franchise directive. His 19 steals through early June put him on pace to hit the 34 projected for the season, and there is almost no scenario where that green light gets taken away.
Jose Caballero, 2B/OF, New York Yankees (projected 35 SB)
Caballero is the most interesting name on this list because he changed organizations this offseason and landed in a lineup structure that suits his game perfectly. Projected for 35 steals, he is running in a Yankees lineup that provides enough lineup protection around him to keep pitchers honest, which in turn creates ideal conditions for stolen-base attempts. His sprint speed is good but not elite, and his preseason ADP was modest enough that managers who grabbed him early are looking very smart right now.
Xavier Edwards benefits from Miami's run-manufacturing approach, sustaining elite stolen-base production rates.© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The June waiver wire is the best time to buy cheap — managers have already written off the .193 hitter, the slow starter, or the obscure prospect. Read organizational context before your league does. When you spot a player stealing bases in a lineup that rewards running, that window closes fast.
The core risk: managerial trust evaporates overnight. A trade deadline sell-off, lineup reshuffling, or new manager can kill the green light immediately. Monitor beat reporters and box scores, not just stat pages—when a manager stops mentioning a player in lineup construction comments, that's your earliest warning.
The managers who consistently win the stolen-base category aren't the ones with the most sprint-speed data. They're tracking press conference language. "We want to be aggressive on the bases" in April is worth more than any sprint-speed percentile.
What does borrowed speed mean in fantasy baseball?It means a player is stealing bases far more often than his raw athletic profile would suggest, because his manager has handed him a green light based on trust, lineup context, and organizational philosophy rather than pure foot speed.
Who is Jake Mangum and why is he stealing so many bases?He's a former 30th-round pick who has bounced around six organizations and finally found a Pittsburgh Pirates team desperate enough for offense to let him run whenever his instincts say go.
Why is Xavier Edwards stealing bases at an elite pace?The Marlins have a thin power lineup and need manufactured runs, so Edwards gets to run early and often in situations where most organizations would hold their runners.
Why is Nasim Nuñez leading the league in stolen bases?Because the Nationals have essentially told him that stolen bases are his primary job, and when a player has that kind of organizational permission with legitimate speed to back it up, a league-leading stolen-base total is the result.
How should fantasy managers use borrowed-speed players?Add them aggressively on waivers or in trades when their steal totals are outpacing their public reputation, monitor their lineup spots and deadline trade risk carefully, and have a contingency plan ready if their manager's philosophy changes or their team becomes a seller.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fantasy section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
