June 8th, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka It is a baseball term that fans have heard for years, yet most have absolutely no idea what it means – a five-tool player.
What exactly are these five tools and why do they even exist?
I’ll answer the ‘why’ part first. When baseball scouts and player development people watch and evaluate players (primarily position players), they do so by rating their skills in five very specific areas, which are referred to as ‘tools’. This brings us to the ‘what’ part – the five specific tools themselves. They are:
- Hitting for Power
- Hitting for Average
- Fielding Ability
- Throwing Ability
- Speed
In order for a player, especially on the professional level, to be considered a five-tool player, they must not only be good in each of these five areas, they must be great in them. A rating of average in any one of these five areas is referred to as ‘average’ (go figure); a rating of above average is referred to as ‘plus’; and a rating of way above average is referred to as ‘plus plus’. And while being average or even plus in these areas is a good thing, only those who are ‘plus plus’ in all five areas are considered five-tool players – and there are not very many of them out there.
Ken Griffey Jr. is perhaps the best five-tool player to come along in the past 25 years. (Photo credit – Tomasso Derosa)
When you look at a guy like Dodger first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, a four-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, you see a guy who obviously hits for both power and average and has exceptional fielding and throwing ability, but let’s face it, A-Gon runs like he’s carrying a refrigerator on his back. As such, Gonzalez is definitely a great player but he is not a five-tool player. The same would hold true for Andre Ethier, also a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. But like Gonzalez, Ethier has what would be considered average to plus speed at best.
On the other hand, 22-year-old phenom Yasiel Puig is clearly five-tool player, as is Matt Kemp (2013 notwithstanding). Having one five-tool player on your roster is a very good thing but having two of them is extremely rare. As such, the Dodgers are very fortunate in that regard.
Is Yasiel Puig a five tool player? Go back through the above criteria again and you tell me. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
As far as five-tool players currently in the Dodgers minor league system the news is not all that encouraging. Granted, top outfield prospect Joc Pederson can hit for both power and average and has plus plus fielding abilities and a plus plus throwing arm, but he has what would be considered plus speed – good but not great. I’ll have to check with our resident minor league expert Harold Uhlman to see if perhaps I am missing any possible five-tool players down on the farm, but I don’t believe that I am.
As noted, five-tool players do not come around very often and having three of them (Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Yasiel Puig) making it to the Big leagues in consecutive seasons is a real treat for baseball fans and will undoubtedly lead to some very exciting baseball for many years to come. I do not recall such a thing ever happening before in my lifetime and it will most likely not happen again anytime soon.
Who is the better of the three? That remains to be seen and is definitely subject to debate; but my (biased) money is on the guy who has done more in his first five games in the major leagues than what Mike Trout or Bryce Harper did in their first five games.
But regardless of who is best, I’m going to do exactly what the great Vin Scully suggests before every home game at Dodger Stadium: “Sit back, relax and enjoy the game.”
Let the Cuban missiles fly.
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Love the A-Gon running ability description.
I would agree with Joc’s five tool assessment. He is a good player but his tool box is not as loaded as Trout, Harper or Yasiel. Some have likened Joc to Matt Holliday and it remains to be seen if he could be another one like Holliday. His fielding will definitely be better.
Yasiel’s speed is like a sprinter. He is in full sprint mode in a couple of steps. There was some suggestion on the broadcasts out of Chattanooga that Yasiel did not get a good read on balls but his speed compensated for that. I got the feeling Yasiel might have been under challenged a bit at AA and appeared to be a bit disinterested.
Certainly to my knowledge there are no other 5 tool prospects in the Dodger system.
The sixth tool is make up, attitude. Thus far Yasiel seems to have that tool. We will know for sure when he hits a rough spot as they all do, regardless of their talent.
I would agree with the assessments, but with just one reservation as to who will prove to be the best of the three. Puig is slightly older than Trout and Harper and if they continue to improve one of them may distance themselves from the others. Also, we only have a tiny sample of Puig and it will be interesting to see what happens when the pitchers around the league discover any weaknesses he may have. I remember how Kemp broke in with a bang, then had to adjust as the rest of the league figured him out.
Crawford was once considered a five tool player, so if he gets healthy and returns to form, the prospects for us are unbelievable…three five tool guys playing in the same outfield!!!
Although many are comparing Puig to the likes of Bo Jackson and Roberto Clemente, I actually see him as a right-handed version of Barry Bonds.
Having followed Puig very closely since June 28, 2012 (the day the Dodgers signed him), I have been absolutely amazed that he rarely chases balls out of the strike zone (unlike Kemp) and he can pretty much hit a ball thrown anywhere in the strike zone for a home run – hence the Bonds comparison. Kemp has never been able to do this.
I have to laugh at those who said that Puig was “too raw” and still laugh at those who say “it’s too small of a sample size” – especially from anyone who saw him in person during spring training. Why are people so skeptical and unwilling to accept the fact that Puig is one in a million and that he actually is the real deal (or as I refer to him – “The Natural”)?
One thing I’ve been impressed with is Puig’s ability to adjust to the pitch. He seemingly knows when to go the other way and has an instinct of where the pitcher will throw him in the count, which can be assesed when he took two shots deep to right.
I’d say Andre’s days as a Dodger are soon coming to an end. The trading deadline comes quickly.
An excellent and extremely important point, Kevin.
What very few people realize is that Puig absolutely knew that Maholm was NOT going to throw him a fastball, so he faked a bunt on the first pitch to see what Maholm was going to throw him. It was a slow breaking ball. Maholm threw that exact pitch again (with the infield now drawn in) and Puig was laying on it and pulled in into the Left Field Pavilion.
I can honestly say that I had no idea that this 22-year-old kid had this kind of hitting savvy.
You are right about Andre but it is very clear than Andre and Puig get along exceptionally well. They are always kidding with one another when warming up between innings and during pitching changes. It is also very clear that all of his teammates absolutely love him.
I recall at one time, I think it was you Ron, that said that the sixth tool is “Instincts”.
OBF – I said above that the sixth tool is make up, attitude. LOL
I know, I know, I read ya, I read ya. LOL.
IMO, what we see today in Puig is an exceptional 5 tool player that enjoys playing the game to the fullest. Lets all hope he stays that way, even when times get tough. And lets also hope he doesn’t do something dumb, like driving 100mph again or diving into first base again. Players are only as good as they are healthy and to do high risk stuff will only limit that potential.