Ichiro can hit the ball out of the park. Tools are graded at the Major League level. This is very hard to predict in most amateur players, but much easier in MLB players. Power is based on the ability to hit a certain number of HRs at the MLB level. Ichiro falls short of average based on the results. When amateurs are compared to MLB players (which is a fairly common practice in scouting), no one will claim some amateur power hitting prospects power compares to Ichiro.
So it is possible that someone could say Ichiro has average or even above average MLB power and it’s only his style that is the reason he doesn’t hit more HRs. And some could argue that, that is true. Wade Boggs for instance had plus power that he would show off in BP, but didn’t hit a ton of HRs because of his opposite field approach in games. The question is… would guys like Wade Boggs and Ichiro grade out as high as hitters (ave.) if they had hit for more power (HRs)?
Others could say that a true plus power hitter does or can hit a certain number of home runs at the Major League level. I’ve never heard of an average college level ever being used.
There are players who hit for average and hit home runs. Pujols, ARod, etc. These would be the players who have both the plus hitting and plus power tools.
IMO There are a few things that distinguish true power in an amateur player. Distance is one obvious thing that shows “raw” power. Raw power is usually the one thing we most often see in BP. Frequency is another that shows true power in BP but more importantly in games, and another plus to those who can hit it a long ways to all fields and hit with power from different levels of the strike zone is another plus. Top spin hitters (Ichiro) are rarely graded out high as power hitters, but there have been some exceptions to that.
Wade Boggs would hit long balls in BP to the pull side and line drives to opposite field. Note: sometimes the guys with the most raw power just don’t hit many HRs in games for lots of reasons, so you have to take that into account. Raw power relates to distance, the power grade relates more to frequency. Some of the very best grade high in both. There are 5 tools, but each of those has several other “tools” that are graded.
So it would be a matter of opinion regarding how to grade power. Let’s just say that of the five tools, Ichiro grades out higher in run, throw, field, and hit than he does in power. I think that would hold true that power would be his “weakest” tool in every scout’s estimation.
Then again there has never been a true explanation of a 5 tool player. In my mind, it is some one who is above average in all 5 tools. Thus I would have a hard time grading Ichiro above average in power.
Grading an amateur player in hitting and power is different in some ways than grading a Major League player (that which the grades are based on). One is based on prediction, the other is based on results. Many amateurs with above average power grades do not become average power hitters if and when they get to the Major Leagues.
What was the topic here again?
Anyway, it's always interesting to read everyone's opinions on subjects like this.
