The pitcher sets, the ball firmly in his palm. Billy Hamilton inches away from second base, knowing he’s got a pair of fielders swapping trips to the bag behind him. Fans are squarely focused on the pitcher’s movement, waiting for a leg kick or maybe some motion from his glove.

But as Hamilton — who had the most prolific base-stealing season in the history of professional baseball last year — gets a walking lead, he’s looking for something different.

“The pitcher’s gonna let you know if he’s going home because he’s got a little tilt in his back shoulder. If it gets down, he’s probably go home. If he stays straight up, it means he’s coming back around,” Hamilton said on Saturday. “You’ve gotta watch the shoulder.”

While Hamilton has been blessed with blazing speed, he’s learning that the art of stealing bases, especially at the game’s highest level, is as much about preparation and awareness as it is your time in the 40. Speed is a prerequisite. But a tiny bit of knowledge on your opponent can make all the difference between failure and success.

At the Reds Player Development Complex, Eric Davis has been giving speedsters like Hamilton and Derrick Robinson nuggets he accumulated during 17 years in the major leagues. Davis swiped 80 bags in 1986 and finished with 349 in his career.

He said the key to base stealing is right in the name.

“It’s like anything, a good thief is someone who doesn’t get caught. C’mon, that’s what stealing is. As a base stealer, I’ve gotta figure out a way to get there without getting caught. It’s that simple,” Davis said. “Most good thieves know their surroundings and they know what they do best in order to be successful.”

In the case of Hamilton, the top prospect in the Reds organization according to Baseball America, being successful means not letting your opponent know your intentions. At least not too quickly. Davis said he’s been working with the phenom, trying to settle him into the craft.

“With Billy, he’s learning you have to be more relaxed. In the minor leagues you can do a lot of movin’ and jumpin’ around and stuff like that. Here you have be a little more meticulous. There’s a lot of guessing, but you have to learn that you don’t just try to outrun the ball,” Davis said. “We’ve been talking the past year and half and he’s started to tone some things down. He’s starting to get to his spot more. He’s not as edgy.

“When you get to the big leagues all those pitchers are taught to hold you. And when they hold you, you become impatient.”

Derrick Robinson knows a thing or two about stealing bases. After turning down an offer to play cornerback at the University of Florida, Robinson proceeded to lead his league in steals for four straight seasons while in the Royals chain. He’s just 25, but Robinson said he’s been learning through each step on the minor-league ladder.

“As a younger player, you rely all on speed. Your jumps aren’t important,” said Robinson, who has stolen 50 or more bases four times in the minors. “There are things you get away with at the lower levels — catchers weren’t as good and pitchers aren’t as good at holding you on — but as you move up, you realize they’re working as hard on trying keep you there as you are working on trying to get to the next base.”

First to second

There’s plenty of strategy between pitchers and runners, often serving multiple layers of deception. For example, when a base-stealing threat initially leads off first, some pitchers toss slowly to the bag, using a ‘B’ move to lull the potential thief to sleep. It rarely works, but it also serves as a warning.

“Some guys do that to make you think that’s their move right there. But as you get smarter you realize that’s not his best move,” Robinson said. “I get an even bigger lead, knowing I’m not going, just so I get his best move so I know what he’s got. It’s a mind game between us and the pitchers.”

There are cues that help, Robinson said, like a quick glance at the catcher’s sign, or some inside info from a teammate who’s seen a “tell” on the pitcher.

Hamilton said he’s looking for something different when he’s heading for second, and that’s where preparation is crucial.

“You’ve got to watch and learn, especially the leg kicks. Most of them just slide step. I’ve been learning all about it,” he said of the trick where pitchers raise the lead foot just a few inches instead of using a high knee lift. “I really just watch the back foot. When the back foot comes up, he has to go home. If it stays down, he’s peeking over.”

The break is as pivotal as anything, according to both Hamilton and Robinson. And if it’s a good break, timing the jump precisely with the pitcher’s movement to plate, good things will likely happen.

“You know as soon as you get that jump if you’re gonna be safe or not,” Hamilton said.

By the same token, Robinson added that a poor start can cause a runner fits.

“You know when you got a bad jump, and there’s no turning back,” Robinson said. “That means you’ve gotta turn on the boosters. That feeling is almost panic, you try to put it in that extra gear to make up for lost time.”

Second to third

Although he’s struggled at the plate this spring, Hamilton caused quite the stir after snapping off a single against the Royals on March 1. He stole first, then drew plenty of attention while leading off second. After a number of looks, Hamilton broke for third, sliding in easily with another stolen bag.

“It’s different from first because you can get that walking lead. I start by the base and I start walking towards third and I keep going until he stops you,” he said. “Once you get that momentum, most of the time, if he tries an inside move, you have time to get back. You can tell if he’s leaning.

“It’s kind of easier to steal third.”

Hamilton said he glances at the middle infielders who cover second, but Robinson said it’s not a concern.

“I really don’t pay much attention to them if they’re behind me,” Robinson said. “They can’t do much if the pitcher doesn’t throw them the ball.”

Davis said some younger players try to draw throws or create havoc, but he said the attempt is usually futile in the bigs. Davis said he once drew extra attention from then-Atlanta manager Chuck Tanner, who put a second baseman on the bag to cover him. But the move only disturbed the defense.

“I focused more on my lead and my jump, what I was doing. If I got that, it doesn’t matter what they did,” Davis said. “You can cause chaos without jumping. They’re still going to throw over nine times, the catcher’s still gonna rush, the pitcher’s gonna try to go home as fast as he can. In Billy’s case, everybody knows you stole 155 bases, who you foolin’? You have to control yourself, but you’re still gonna create havoc because they know what you possess.”

Heading home

As for the final frontier, stealing home, Hamilton said he’s yet to accomplish it, although he’s been working on the skill in camp.

Davis said the youngster shouldn’t worry himself with the idea.

“I wouldn’t suggest it,” Davis said, noting he did steal home once in his career. “There might be a time when Billy can get that done, but it’s so instinctual. Everybody’s doing their thing. If Joey Votto’s up and you try to steal home, you’re gonna look like an idiot. It’s so spontaneous, the game has to present itself to ever pull that off.”

Will that change Hamilton’s mind?

“We’ll see,” he said. “We might able to pull that off this year.”