Of Unicorns and Carlos Beltran: Hunting for Baseball's Five-Tool Players

Ever since I've been old enough to understand baseball, I've been enamored with players who excelled in all aspects of the game.

 

I had no use for Don Mattingly growing up, but I loved Daryl Strawberry. I scorned Mark McGwire for his bash brother, Jose Canseco. I revered Andre Dawson and spurned Mark Grace. I was convinced that Eric Davis would save the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

I idolized those guys—Stawberry, Canseco, Grace, and Davis—for their wide range of skills: their speed and their power, their slick gloves and rocket arms.

 

So began my love affair with baseball's unicorn—the five-tool player.

 

So what qualifies a player for five-tool status?

The first criteria is hitting for average. A five-tooler should consistently hit around .300. This exlcudes, by the way, anyone who hits .300 one season and then .260 every other year.

(And yes Andruw Jones, I'm looking at you.)

The second tool is power. Home runs are the power stat people fixate upon because, as we all know, chicks dig the long ball (and steroids, apparently). We could talk about slugging percentages until we're dead, but you simply have to have home run power to be a five-tool player. No one (people have tried) can convince me that Ichiro is a five-tool player because he hit 15 home runs and 12 triples in 2005. He's not a power hitter and ergo not a five-tool player. He's a great four-tool player, of course—but a super-sleek zebra does not a unicorn make.

The third tool is glove work. This can be a bit difficult to measure. Bill James has 11,312 statistics to gauge how good a fielder is...but the truth is that you can't know unless you watch the games. I love statistics as much as anyone, but I know Ozzie Smith was a better fielder than Derek Jeter—and I don't need math to tell me that. In any event, a five-tool player must be exceptional in the field. Looking at Gold Glove winners is a good start, especially because the award tends to recognize offense as much as defense. (If you ever doubt this, see Rafael Palmeiro winning a GG in 1999 after playing 28 games at first and 135 at DH).

The fourth tool is throwing arm. For my money, there's nothing quite so exhilarating as a rocket-armed right fielder gunning down a runner at the plate. This tool is virtually immeasurable except by watching a player play the game. Outfield assists are rarely a reliable statistic, as baserunners fear the frozen ropes of Ichiro (9 assists in 2006) and Vlad Guererro (7 assists) but run on the noodle-armed Alfonso Soriano (22 assists).

The final tool, of course, is speed. Unteachable, natural speed. Real five-tool players have game-changing wheels. They disrupt the pitcher on the basepaths. They stretch singles into doubles, doubles into triples. One thing's for sure: Five-tool players steal bases. At the height of a five-tooler's career, he should swipe at least 30 bags a year.

With that long-winded explanation out of the way, I present to you my authoritative list of five-tool players in the game today:

Full Toolbox—Legit Five-Toolers

Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM: Beltran doesn't hit for outstanding average, but his power and defense are spectacular. His SB numbers have declined, but his speed is still there.

Bobby Abreu, OF, NYY: HR Derby aside, his power isn't that impressive—but he's been consistent enough with his 30-30 numbers to make the cut.

Vernon Wells, OF, TOR: The current five-tool poster boy, with a fat new contract to prove it.

Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE: The accolades will come as he develops, but the fans in Cleveland already know about Sizemore's abilities.

 

  

Almost There—4-Tool Players

 

Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY: A former 40-40 guy, but not blessed with great speed or a rocket arm.

Alfonso Soriano, OF, CHC: Yes, he had 22 assists last year, but he's still adjusting to the outfield and will learn another new position in CF this year.

David Wright, 3B, NYM: Highlight-reel defense and can rake with the bat. Stole 20 bases in '06, but not blessed with great speed.

Rusty Tools—Declining Stars

 

Vlad Guerrero, OF, LAA:  At one point, he was poised to be the defining five-tooler of his generation. Then his ass grew bigger than John Kruk's and his outfield range was cut in half.

Barry Bonds, OF, SF: One of the greatest five-toolers ever, but too much special sauce has eroded his 42-year-old body.

Ken Griffey Jr., OF, CIN: Too fragile to steal bases—and everyone holds their breath when Junior makes a diving catch.

Andruw Jones, OF, ATL : His speed was gone by his mid-20s, and he only hit .300 once.

 

Up & Coming—Five-Toolers of the Future

 

About half the prospects I hear about are described as "five-tool players," but only a handful really pass multidimensional muster:

Felix Pie, CF, Chicago Cubs

Delmon Young, OF, Tampa Bay

Alex Gordon, 3B, Kansas City

Howie Kendrick 2B, Anaheim