Jacoby Ellsbury heads to second on a successful stolen-base attempt in the sixth inning Wednesday, as Orlando Cabrera prepares to take the throw.

Journal photo / Ruben W. Perez

BOSTON — On July 7, 2008, Jacoby Ellsbury had stolen 35 bases to that point in the season. He didn't get his 36th until August 5. He stole only 14 more the rest of the season, for a league-leading 50.

"I just got a little fatigued at the end last year. It was a slow decline," Ellsbury said.

On July 7, 2009, Jacoby Ellsbury also had 35 stolen bases. He got his 36th that night, added his 37th Wednesday night, and he feels so good there's little chance he'll stop at 50 this year.

"This year, my body already feels that much better," said Ellsbury. "I feel a lot stronger as far as from when I started until now. I feel like I've leveled off. I haven't lost any energy or strength or anything like that."

Last year, Ellsbury was well on his way towards establishing himself as one of the premier speed-oriented players in baseball when he hit his July swoon. His batting average fell, and he doesn't walk much to begin with, making for few opportunities to score.

"He got thrown out a couple times, and then he didn't get on base for a while. So there [weren't] a ton of opportunities," manager Terry Francona said.

When he did get on base, pitchers were more aware of his speed.

"All of a sudden, guys were slide-stepping, not just part of the time, but all the time, because he established himself as one of the premier threats in the game," said Francona.

It was a lot to process, on top of the sheer number of games a major-leaguer must play. A 162-game schedule wears down the body in a way that Ellsbury had never seen during his years at Oregon State or in the minor leagues.

"That first full season, you don't really know what to expect. You haven't played that many games. You don't know how your body's going to respond," Ellsbury said.

He examined the specific ways his body failed him last season, and tailored his routine this year in order to adjust.

"I went into the offseason knowing what my body likes as far as going through a full season, knowing what it needs to do, as far as when I need to lift, how much would I need to eat just to fuel the body and endure the long season," Ellsbury said.

First, the center fielder worked hard in the offseason to bulk up so he wouldn't wear down. He next figured out a diet that would allow him to keep his weight up all year. Then he tailored his in-season workouts to achieve more consistency.

"I'm more consistent with my lifting," he said. "Last year, I lifted when I felt better — I said maybe I'm a little dead today, I'm not going to lift. This year, it's on a routine. It's on a schedule. A lot of the stuff I do now is a result of last year. It's routine-oriented, to try to stay consistent every day."

Ellsbury's numbers are fairly close to where they were at this moment last season. His batting average (.303 vs. .274) is higher than 2008's, though his number of runs scored is lower (44 vs. 56). His 38 steals are second in the majors behind Crawford's 41.

So it really comes down to trusting how he feels he'll perform over the rest of the season.

Ellsbury said recently that his body feels like it did on day one of spring training.

If he feels as good as he says he does, he should be able to get on base enough, and steal enough, to easily surpass Tommy Harper's club record of 54 steals. The way Ellsbury's been talking, we shouldn't be at all surprised if he flirts with being the first American Leaguer to steal 70 bases since 1997.

dbarbari@projo.com