The five tools that baseball scouts look for when they are scouting MLB prospects are: hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, defense, and arm strength. If a player has all five tools, they are considered a super star. They will be drafted at the top of the amateur draft, and will be expected to make in into the major leagues sooner rather than later. A five tool player is the white unicorn of the major leagues.
However, being a five tool player is overrated. You don't need to possess all five tools to be great. Hell, you don't even need to possess half of them. Reigning and 2 time A.L. MVP Miguel Cabrera only possess two out of the five tools- hitting for average and power. He's a terrible defender with no speed and no arm. Yet he's one of the best players in baseball. In fact, there are very few players in baseball who can even be considered a five tool player. This post will explore the five tool players in the game, and in turn, will show you just how outdated, rather unnecessary, the designation of a five tool player is.
THE NO-DOUBT FIVE TOOL PLAYERS
Mike Trout (LAA)
While Miguel Cabrera is the true 2 time reigning A.L. MVP, the player that that designation deserved to go to was Mike Trout. He is without a doubt the best player in the game, and he has led the major leagues in WAR for the past two seasons. Trout batted over .320 in 2012 and 2013, hit 27 and 33 home runs for the past two years respectively, and stole 33 and 49 bases for the past two years respectively. The Angels outfielder was 9th in Isolated Power in 2013, and 14th in 2012. He was also 4th in the majors according to Fangraphs base running statistic in 2013 and first (by a wide margin) in 2012. Mike Trout is also an elite defensive outfielder. He has a career 10.2 UZR/150 in the outfielder, and is widely regarded by baseball scouts as the best defender in the game. Mike Trout is the quintessential five tool player. He doesn't just have all five tools, he's one of or THE BEST in all five of the tools.
Carlos Gonzalez (COL)
Gonzalez has consistently been one of the best outfielders in the game since playing 89 games for the Rockies in 2009. CarGo has had over 20 stolen bases and over 20 home runs for the past four years, and he would have had more had he been able to stay healthy. Gonzalez also consistently bats around or over .300. Here are his batting average numbers since 2010: .336, .295, .303, and .305. Gonzalez is a pretty good defender as well. He has an excellent arm, and has posted positive defensive stats in all 3 outfield positions. While he most certainly should be a right fielder, he still is a pretty good center fielder.
