The Tampa Bay Rays are not only the best team in Major League Baseball this season, they are also on track to accomplish a feat that has not been done in nearly 70 years.
Entering play on Tuesday the Rays are leading the majors in both home runs (101) and stolen bases (73), and if they can maintain both of those leads they would be the first team since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers to lead all of the majors in both categories in the same season.
The 1995 Cleveland Indians were able to accomplish that feat for the American League in a shortened 144-game season, leading the Majors with 207 home runs.
They also led the American League with 132 stolen bases but fell short of the Major League lead, finishing behind three National League teams.
It would be an incredible accomplishment because teams are not usually built to do both things well.
Power hitting teams do not tend rely on the stolen base to manufacture runs, while teams that are dependent on using speed and stolen bases do not usually hit for power.
But the Rays are the rare team that is not only good at both, but also among the best in the league in both.
They do not have narrow leads in either category, either.
The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers are the only other teams in the Majors with more than 84 home runs this season, while neither of them entered play on Tuesday with more than 90 for the season.
The Rays also have a 15-stolen base lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh and Oakland are the only two other teams in baseball that have stolen even 48 bases this season. Tampa Bay is already up to 73.
Helping the Rays climb the leaderboard in both categories have been dual threats like Wander Franco (seven home runs, 19 steals), Josh Lowe (11 home runs, 12 steals) and Taylor Walls (seven home runs, 14 steals.)
Two of the most exciting plays in baseball are home runs and stolen bases. The Rays are the best in the league at both of them.
