Who's on pace for 10/10 seasons?

It's not as easy as it looks to finish a summer collegiate baseball season with ten plus doubles and steals- five people managed the line in 2013 with just two apiece in 2012 and 2010. It's an accomplishment, a combination of both gap power and speed as you're essentially hitting a double and stealing a base once every four games.

As the month of June is in the books, I was inspired by an Eric Karabell piece on ESPN about 20/20 players at the major league level (home runs and stolen bases) to look back at who accomplished it over the past few years who who is making a run at it in 2014.

10 doubles, 10 stolen bases in 2013 (Trace Tam Sing, JP Sportman, Jacob Bruce, Evan Ocello, Andrew Santomauro): None of these five players- the most to hit the plateau in the past three years- returned in 2014 after all having excellent seasons. Sportman was named MVP while Tam Sing and Ocello were both named to all-NECBL teams. Tam Sing came up a double short of the NECBL record with 17 while swiping 18 bases while Santomauro placed second in the league with 23 stolen bases and snuck in with 10 doubles. 

Zach Shank with the Pulaski Mariners in 2013.

10 doubles, 10 stolen bases in 2012 (Zach Shank, Jeff Roy): Just two managed to hit the mark in 2012- Danbury's Zach Shank and North Adam's Jeff Roy. Shank hit 12 doubles and stole 13 bases, while Roy hit 11 and stole a league-leading 24 bases. Both of them are in professional baseball now after being drafted. Roy is playing for Class A West Virginia (Pirates) after being called up while Shank is in Class A as well, playing for Clinton (Mariners). 

10 doubles, 10 stolen bases in 2011 (nobody): Just eight players hit double-digits in doubles and none of them had more then eight steals. Three players came up two short in the steals category- Tanner Krietemeier, Mike Fransoso (playing in Class A short season Jamestown) and Greg Bachman.

Approaching 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases in 2014 (Michael Martin, Aaron Hill, Vinny Zarillo): Almost halfway through the season and only three players are on pace to hit the 10/10 mark in the 2014 season. Zarillo has gotten on base in 17 consecutive games and already has six doubles and six steals. Martin already has nine steals and six doubles, so his path is the easiest. 

All in all, it is a very hard thing to do in the NECBL. Martin, Hill, Zarillo and others are vying to become one of an elite club made up of just nine players over the last four years.