ESPN MLB

Baseball professionals traditionally recognize five tools in a player: hitting for average, hitting for power, running, fielding, and throwing. These tools are at the core of all evaluations when scouts look at players – especially raw amateur prospects in high school, junior college or even in a four-year college program.

The "Dickson Baseball Dictionary" defines the noun "tools" as "a player's abilities; his specific talents." Scouts will tell you that a player's tools are innate and cannot be learned ("God-given" is the common adjective). According to conventional baseball wisdom, however, specific skills can be taught.

Professional players are also scouted on their tools. However, as a player moves upward through the pro ranks, his tools gradually fade in importance as his skills and actual production move to the forefront. At least the relative importance placed on tools versus production should change, although there are always a few holdouts who continue to emphasize tools over skills, even with major league veterans.

A "five-tool player" is a player who can do it all; a potential superstar if he is still young and developing. With enough big-league experience, a five-tool player should be a superstar. Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez are classic examples of five-tool players. Albert Pujols, though a gifted and truly fearsome hitter, is not considered a five-tool player because his speed is below average and some scouts question his fielding.

Everyone focuses on power, speed and throwing, but what are the most overlooked tools in the game today? Three elements are often underemphasized or even forgotten when people start talking tools: plate discipline, fielding range and arm accuracy.

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