Yankees are unlocking an element of their game they haven't been able to in over a decade

The 2025 New York Yankees are uniquely different from every other recent Yankees team in at least one way. And no, we are not referring to New York's new facial hair policy.

We're talking hustle. This iteration of the Yankees steals bases at a high rate, pointing not only to the aggression of manager Aaron Boone, but more so, to the speedy and instinctual personnel at Boone’s disposal. After all, Boone has been the manager in New York since 2017.

But Boone’s never had a Yankees team that robs bases like this 2025 squad.

The Yankees are stealing bases at the highest franchise rate in recent memory

Entering Friday’s matchup with the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees had tallied 102 stolen bases through 127 games. That’s a rate of 0.803 stolen bases per game, and it already bests New York’s total stolen base mark from every season over the past decade. Here’s a look at the Yankees’ stolen base totals in those seasons:

2024: 88
2023: 100
2022: 102
2021: 63
2020: 27 (60-game season)
2019: 55
2018: 63
2017: 90
2016: 72
2015: 63

Jomboy of the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast provided further context on Monday about the 2025 Yankees’ base-stealing prowess. 

“Yankees recorded 11 stolen bases over their last five games, 28 stolen bases over their last 17 games, 30 stolen bases over their last 19 games, and 31 over their last 21, which is the first time a Yankees team has stolen that many bases in that period of time since 2011, and it's the second most in that stretch behind the (Seattle) Mariners,” Jomboy said.

“So you've been watching an elite base-stealing team.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jasson Dominguez are leading base-stealers for Yankees

Who have been the Yankees’ most prolific thieves on the base-paths in 2025? Here’s the club’s top five list (entering Friday) for stolen bases:

1. Jazz Chisholm Jr.: 22
2. Jasson Dominguez: 21
3. Anthony Volpe: 15
4. Cody Bellinger: 11
5. Aaron Judge: 8

Notably, Chisholm — acquired last season — and Dominguez are newcomers in the Boone era, pointing back to the premise that even if Boone always wanted to be this aggressive, he hasn’t had the roster to fully unleash his vision until now. There’s also the possibility that having guys like Chisholm and Dominguez in the fold has moved Boone to adopt a playing style that he heretofore didn’t think about much at all.

The Yankees have been caught stealing 28 times so far this year, but it’s a worthwhile price to pay, especially if you look at the example set by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew, owners of baseball’s best record at the moment, lead MLB in times caught stealing (45) while also ranking No. 2 in the league in stolen bases (138).

Milwaukee’s overall aggression is a huge part of its gritty identity under manager Pat Murphy, and the Brewers have the personnel to pull it off. MLB’s base-stealing kings, the Tampa Bay Rays, rank No. 2 in times caught stealing, by the way. 

It’s not surprising — when you gamble more, you lose more. However, beyond the successful thefts on the other side of that for teams like the Brewers, Rays, and Yankees, there is a general anxiety you can produce in opposing pitching staffs when you are known as a club willing to take risks on the base-paths.

For the first time in a long time, the Yankees are using that anxiety to their advantage. Maybe it's the beards!