The Six Tools

People often ask how to get themselves or their sons to play baseball at the next level. This may be anything from making the high school team, playing in college, or playing professionally. In order to fully answer this question, you must understand the criteria on which you will be graded on. Baseball scouts and coaches agree that there are five tools that they use to grade players, but in recent years I have also heard of a sixth tool that I will discuss. All of these tools can be difficult for a scout or coach to judge if he only sees you play one or two games, but I will break down each tool to provide some insight into how you may be graded on each.

Hitting for Average - Being able to consistently make solid contact in order to hit for a high batting average. One quick statistical measure of this tool is batting average, but scouts also look at your walks vs. strikeouts. My college coach always told us to aim to draw more walks than strikeouts. Anything close to a 1:1 walk to strikeout ratio is good. Scouts will also look for the ability to know the strike zone and not chase pitches that are out of the zone.

Hitting for Power - Having the ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field consistently. This is usually an easier tool to measure by looking at home runs and extra base hits. Scouts will also look at bat speed, physical body strength, and the velocity of the ball coming off the bat. They will often project someones power potential based on their physical build. I have also heard that scouts measure someones potential power by how high the ball goes on a pop-up or fly ball. People with a lot of power tend to hit higher fly balls.

Ready fielding positions

Fielding Ability - Showing the ability to field the baseball consistently and with good fundamentals. This tool will vary by position, but you can usually tell if someone looks comfortable and confident defensively. Catchers should be able to receive the ball with ease, and block balls that are thrown in the dirt. Infielders should show good fielding position, good hands, and always make the routine plays. I will post more on infield defensive drills and fundamentals. Outfielders should be able to track down fly balls with good speed and reactions, as well as be able to charge base hits and field them cleanly.

Arm Strength - Having superior arm strength will allow you to make plays that others simply can not. This can be easily measured by throwing velocity. Having a strong arm will help infielders make long throws to first base, catchers throw out stealing base runners, and outfielders throw out a runner trying to score, or take an extra base. I also include throwing accuracy and consistency in this tool.

Running Speed - This tool is commonly measured by running a 60-yard dash. This is often regarded as the tool that is hardest to teach. Having excellent speed will help a player in almost every aspect of the game. For high school players, aim for a 60-yard time of 7.0. College players with plus speed will run a 6.8 or faster. Major leaguers that run 6.6 or better are considered fast, but the average Major League 60-yard time is rumored to be around 6.9-7.0 seconds.

Hustling off the field

Mental Makeup - This is the sixth tool that I have added because I think it is that important to being a successful baseball player. I have also heard many scouts and coaches talk about the importance of being mentally tough and having a great work ethic. Mental makeup includes everything from body language, hustling, the way you deal with failures, being a good teammate, and your work ethic on and off the field. This tool is something that every scout looks for immediately. There have been many players who were quickly crossed off of a scouts list because they showed poor mental makeup.

Now, don't panic if you don't have all of these tools because there are only a handful of guys in the world who are superior in every tool. My advice to anyone looking to improve their tools is to master the tool(s) that you possess. If you hit for average, work to increase your batting average and get on base more. Most importantly, don't try to be a player that you are not. The type of player that you are should match the tool set that you have. For example, I am not a guy who hits for power, so it would be foolish for me to have the same batting approach as Alex Rodriguez.