There's a new Speed Racer in Town - Jenn

And his name is Jacoby Ellsbury.

Okay, so the rookie doesn't sit behind a steering wheel tearing up a race track. But the speed with which he tears up the baseball diamond, he might as well have a pair of wheels under him. The 25 year-old can usually be found running around the outfield making spectacular catches to keep the Red Sox in the win column. But when he's not playing center field, right field, or left field, the kid swings a great bat.

So far this season, Ellsbury's had 176 at bats. Of those 176, 51 have been hits and 27 have been walks, which means his on base percentage is a healthy .389. But it's not these stats that have Red Sox Nation begging for more Ellsbury, it's the number of stolen bases he's got. After just 52 games the Oregon native has stolen a whopping 27 bases, which plants him safely in first place in the majors putting him three ahead of Mariner's center fielder, Ichiro Suzuki.

It's been a blast watching the rookie get more and more confident with his speed and his stealing ability. If you look at the season early on, Ellsbury wasn't doing a lot of stealing. Then starting mid April, the rookie started testing the opposing teams and taking 2nd before the pitchers knew he was off. His confidence grew and the steals started to come fast and furious. So much so, that it took 46 games before he was finally caught. The date - May 18th, 2008. The team - the Milwaukee Brewers. Before that he had 25 consecutive stolen bases (not counting the post season).

But that's not the best part of the story. While most players would be content stealing a base once a game, Ellsbury tries at least two, sometimes even three times. And he'll steal anything. It's not just about 2nd with this kid. He'll steal 3rd, or even home, if he thinks he can get there. Just look at the series against the Orioles. In the past 3 games the Sox have played at Camden Yards, Ellsbury has stolen 7 bases. That's not a misprint. He's stolen 7 bases. In 3 games. And of those 7 steals, three of them have been for 3rd base.

Sure, yesterday he was caught, but that's only the third time this season that's happened. And he didn't let it get him down. The next time he was on base, Ellsbury stole 2nd without a problem. The down side? He just stole the one base. But today's another day and the final game of the series. Maybe Ellsbury will really test himself and see if he can go for four. Even if it's just one, I can't wait.