When the Atlanta Braves stole away first base coach Antoan Richardson from their rival New York Mets, fans believed that the base running guru could fix the club's poor outcomes on the basepaths. Some even dreamed that he could turn someone like Austin Riley, who has seven career steals, into a stolen base threat.
While the season is still young, the early returns have not reflected that dream. Through the first nine games of the season, the Braves continue to make outs on the bases while not seeing any increase in steals.
Antoan Richardson hasn't fixed the Braves' baserunning (yet)
Last season, Richardson made headlines when slugging superstar Juan Soto turned into a legitimate stolen base threat. With 38 steals, Soto had 26 more steals in 2025 than his previous career high of 12, and he wasn't the only Met who saw significant gains. Soto credited Richardson for his advances on the bases and said he was sad when Richardson left the Mets.
Brandon Nimmo had never stolen more than nine bases in a season prior to the Mets adding Richardson in 2024. In 2024, Nimmo stole a career high 15 bases, and followed that with 13 steals in 2025.
However, so far in Atlanta, the stolen bases have not come. Only Ronald Acuña Jr. has stolen a base for the Braves, and while the superstar does have two steals, he also has two caught stealing and a pickoff. Mauricio Dubón and Ozzie Albies are the only other players to officially attempt a steal, and they were both caught in their lone attempt.
The Braves wSB, a stat that weighs steals and caught stealings, places the team solidly in last with -1.9. Baseball Savant's Baserunning Runs is also unimpressed, as the Braves have accumulated 0 Baserunning Runs, placing them in 18th.
There's still plenty of season left to go, but so far, the early returns on baserunning have not been what Atlanta hoped for.