One of the best kept secrets of the 2013 season was this – among only a handful of previous occasions, this season ended with two players having current 13 year or longer streaks of 20 or more stolen bases. Those players were Ichiro Suzuki and Juan Pierre. And, if not for an injury-plagued 2010 season that held him to just 17 thefts, Jimmy Rollins would have been a 3rd player with that distinction.

More after the jump on players who maintain stolen base proficiency throughout their careers.

Ichiro and Pierre are just the 26th and 27th players since 1901 with a 20+ stolen base streak of 10 seasons or longer. Here are those streaks, chronologically.

The 15 year streak shown above for Honus Wagner was, in actuality, a 19 year streak starting with Wagner’s first season in 1897 when he played just 62 games.

From the above list, this would make just the 6th time (depending on how you count) that two or more players have had concurrent 20 stolen base streaks of 13 years or longer, following these occasions:

• 1977       – Lou Brock (15), Bert Campaneris (13)
• 1990       – Willie Wilson (13), Ozzie Smith (13)
• 1991-92 – Willie Wilson (15), Ozzie Smith (15), Rickey Henderson (14)
• 1993        – Ozzie Smith (16), Rickey Henderson (15), Tim Raines (13)
• 1994-95 – Rickey Henderson (17), Brett Butler (14)

There was lots of base stealing in the 19th century, but only two instances of two players having concurrent 13 year streaks.

• 1901 – Herman Long (13), George Van Haltren (14)
• 1902 – George Davis (13), Herman Long (14)

Long streaks, of course, demand that players maintain their overall effectiveness as ballplayers, stay in shape and stay healthy. While the last two are often related, there is also an element of good fortune in staying healthy. So, instead of looking strictly at streaks, these are the players with the most seasons of 20 or more steals when aged 30 or older.

So, 27 players again, and again Suzuki and Pierre are among them. Also on the list are a number of their contemporaries, including Bobby Abreu, Kenny Lofton, Dave Roberts and Omar Vizquel.

So, does the ability to steal bases prolong careers? I approached this question by looking at the 193 retired players since 1901 with 15 to 25 WAR from age 30-34. I reasoned that, irrespective of other factors, players with 25+ WAR (54 of them) in those seasons would tend to have prolonged careers simply because they are so good (37 of the 54 are HOFers, 7 more are on the ballot). Based on stolen bases in that same 5-year period (age 30-34), this is how that 15-25 WAR group compared in PA for the remainder of their careers:

• 80+ SB (41 players) – median 1714 PA aged 35+
• 21-79 SB (88 players) – 1227 PA
• 0-20 SB (64 players) – 1058 PA

If you’re wondering about the effect of catchers, the results change only slightly when removing them from the group:

• 80+ SB – 1722 PA
• 21-79 SB – 1227 PA
• 0-20 SB – 1073 PA

This result, while not demonstrating causality, is clearly consistent with the hypothesis that proficiency in stolen bases after age 30 does prolong careers. Of course, the factors that contribute to a player being able to be proficient in stealing after age 30 (i.e. staying fit and healthy) may be what is contributing to longer careers, rather than base stealing proficiency in and of itself. Thus, advances in fitness, training and diet regimens could well be the factor explaining why so many of these players have come from the past 25 years.