Some more Washington Nationals franchise history (2005-present) was made on Wednesday.
Infielder Nasim Nunez broke CJ Abrams ' record for most stolen bases in a single season when he stole his 48th bag of the year in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers . Then, with eyes on adding to his total, he stole third base right after that to put his number at 49.
Nunez, who has had his ups and downs this season, has proven that he is elite on the basepaths. Not only does he have 49 steals to lead all of Major League Baseball, but he's also only been caught 10 times. And with an elite sprint speed of 29.7 mph that puts him in the 97th percentile, the 26-year-old is eyeing a much loftier goal for himself.
Washington Nationals infielder Nasim Nunez | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Heading into the 2026 campaign, Nunez said that he wanted to steal 80 bases. That was a bold statement considering he had only recorded nine steals the year prior and 17 total in his big league career. But with 70 and 52 stolen bases to his name during the 2022 and 2023 minor league seasons, respectively, he at least had shown that he could be a force on the basepaths.
And after setting Washington's franchise record, he has his sights set on getting to that key mark of 80 steals, as he said after Wednesday's game, per MLB.com , "I'm going to get my 80."
That would put him in some rare MLB history if he were to accomplish that. The modern era record is held by Rickey Henderson, who stole 130 back in 1982. And since 1900, 80 steals has only been reached 23 times. In fact, nobody in the 2000s has gotten to that number, as Jose Reyes ' 78 steals back in 2007 was the closest that any player has come to stealing 80 bags.
What's going to help Nunez in his quest to become an all-time base stealer is actually getting on base more often. Following Wednesday's game, he has an on-base percentage of .291, which has been a huge problem for him throughout the year. He understands he has to improve his offensive game, and he said that's going to be something he works on throughout the winter in preparation for 2027.
"I've got some work to do this offseason. Real soon, we'll get to swinging so we can get on base some more," he stated.
Getting that part of the equation solved will be crucial for Nunez going forward . Next season will be his last before he enters arbitration, so he is under club control for multiple years. However, with tons of talented infield prospects coming up Washington's pipeline , it's not clear how he fits into the picture as a full-time player if he can't add more value at the plate.
Because of that, it goes without saying that this offseason is a huge one for him, even after he set a franchise record.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Nasim Nunez Sets Nationals Record for Stolen Bases as He Eyes Much Loftier Goal .
