Jack Moore discusses Nyjer Morgan’s poor base stealing percentage:

EQSBR confirms our rule of thumb. Morgan has a total EQSBR of -5.09 runs for his career, including an abysmal -2.91 mark for the 2010 season, when Morgan stole 34 bases but was caught 17 times. A closer look at the Baseball Prospectus statistic report for 2010, however, shows 58 stolen base opportunities (SB_OPPS), not 51, as his 34 SBs plus 17 CSs would suggest. This reveals another black mark on Morgan’s running record: he was picked off seven times (PO – PCS under the Baserunning header) by opposing pitchers. Instead of 34 successes against 17 failures, that shifts Morgan’s record to 34 successes against 24 failures, an unacceptable mark which suggests that the Nationals would be better off with Morgan staying put.

Being fast isn’t good enough. A base stealer needs to pick his spots. Part of that is knowing the pitcher and catcher. I don’t know how much Morgan runs on his own. If he does, the coaching staff should reign him in. If the staff is already calling his steals, then the Nationals need a new coach.