5 Tool Player

Hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning, fielding, throwing.

Oh, yeah - players... I'd say old school would be Hank Aaron, Willie Mays. These days, the list might include guys like A-Rod and David Wright. Maybe Edgar Renteria when he's healthy.

Not really baserunning, its speed. This is one of the 5 tools. I love D Wright but I don't associate him wth foot speed. Granderson, Sizemore, A-Rod, Delmon Young, Carl Crawford and I'm sure many more.

A new Major Leaguer who falls into this catagory... Cameron Maybin!

isnt there such thing as a five tool catcher or five tool, hitter or infielder?

quote:

Originally posted by Knocturnal:
isnt there such thing as a five tool catcher or five tool, hitter or infielder?

The five tools don't change relative to position. Their importance may change depending on position, but the five tools are still ability to hit, hit for power, throw, run, field

OK. I'm still a little ignorant on the finer points here, too. I'm guessing that fielding and throwing are really subjective and the other three can be evaluated against a standard.

Hit - Average
Hit for Power - OBP, Slugging, or something similar
Running - a stopwatch

Am I close?

quote:

Not really baserunning, its speed.

Speed, most definitely, but I think the ability to read pitchers and other baserunning skills are important, too. If you're blinding fast but get picked off too frequently or make bad baserunning decisions, then your speed doesn't help you.

Fielding and throwing can be measured by assists, putouts, errors and fielding percentage.

quote:

fielding and throwing are really subjective

You're right, though. Range is really important but it's hard to evaluate with cold, hard stats.

I always thought the five tools of baseball were: hit, run, throw, catch, and knowledge of the game. obviously i just learned something.

quote:

Range is really important but it's hard to evaluate with cold, hard stats.

Correct -- and ironically, outstanding range can actually lead to a lower fielding percentage.

Quoted from a baseball message board:

Poster 1: "What I don't like about Furcal at times is the fact that he makes too many errors."

Poster 2: "True, but he has fantastic range. Errors are such a poor measure of defensive skill, it's sickening. He makes more errors because he gets to a lot of balls and has a lot more chances. The converse would be someone like Derek Jeter, who doesn't have very good range, so he makes fewer errors because he can't get to a lot of balls which would end up being tough plays and possibly errors."

Quoted from another message board:

Poster 1: "Strict adherance to subjective analysis is just as dangerous, though. Let's take a player named... oh, I don't know... Derek. Derek makes a lot of diving stops, which makes him look like a great defensive player. Unfortunately, he has to make those diving stops because he has the range of a midget with a broken leg, so he can't get to the ball normally. That's the type of thing that can only be measured in statistics, unless you are a **** good scout (able to pick up on bad footwork, let's say)."

Poster 2: "On the other hand, take Rafael Furcal...
He has had many errors in the past season, for example, but that's only because he has been able to reach balls that others couldn't. And a player getting up from a diving catch and throwing to first (when another player wouldn't have got to the ball in the first place) is vulnerable to errors. Stats in general are good for a first impression... but you should have first hand knowledge in order to interpret them correctly."

http://coffeyvillewhirlwind.wordpress.com/2005/11/04/th...with-the-gold-glove/

Yes - Love Furcal - what fun he is to watch. Hated it when he left the Braves. I hope you Dodger fans out there appreciate his gifts!

I have always known what the 5 tools are, but this post has me thinking about fielding and how it is graded? Do you grade a shortstop differently than a first baseman? How about outfielders or even catchers?

It is position specific. You grade shortstops based on shortstops at the major League level. Sometimes players are graded on potential at another position. Example: Justin Upton was graded higher in fielding as a centerfielder than he was as a shortstop.

They are graded as to how they perform at their position. How they track a ball in the outfield. How they field a ball in the infield. How they receive as a catcher. Lots of things that go in to that but that's the general idea.

I spoke to a friend of mine, Jeff Spellman, the other day. Jeff owned Team One Baseball and was one of the originators of the top national showcases along with the Area Code Games with Bob Williams. Jeff was talking about the top players at the event throughout the years. He felt David Wright was a solid player but didn't see him becoming a star. Josh Hamilton probably had as much or more tools than anybody. Bottom line- just keep playing the game.

Gerals Laird - Five tool catcher.

Just ask him.

The 5 tool talk came about in the early 50's when writers and coaches began to compare guys like Mays and Mantle, as I have heard from those older than me.
It has little to do with knowledge or range.

Its everything to do with athleticism and baseball ability.
Mays, could Run fast, Hit with Power, Hit for Average, Field well or Catch the ball and Throw with the best of them.
Catchers who can do all 5 have been few, but I-Rod could be considered one. Yes, by position, you can rate fielding differently, but its pretty cut and dried. A guy can either do all 5 or Not.
Rating them at a young age should be left up to scouts, and they know even they can be wrong sometimes.