Indians' Francona: Michael Bourn hasn't wreaked havoc on basepaths like we envisioned

Indians manager Terry Francona admitted Monday that Michael Bourn hasn't been as prolific on the basepaths as management anticipated when the two-time All-Star signed a four-year deal with Cleveland in February of 2013.

"He's one of the most conscientious and nicest kids you'll ever meet. But quite frankly, whether it's because of injuries or not, he hasn't been the kind of guy who wreaks the havoc that we kind of envisioned when we signed him when it comes to stolen bases," Francona told Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Bourn, once regarded among baseball's most dangerous base-stealers, averaged 51 swipes per season from 2008 to 2012 across stints with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves. Persistent hamstring problems, however, marred his first two seasons in Cleveland, limiting the 32-year-old to just 33 stolen bases (in 51 attempts) since 2013.

"He wants to do it really bad, he just wasn't in position to do it the last couple of years.... Hopefully, those injuries are limited and he can use his legs because he's a huge part of what we do," said Francona.