When it comes to evaluating players' scouting tools grades, an 80 is the holy grail.
An 80-grade tool represents the best of the best on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. Some evaluators consider only one player's tool to be an 80 at a given time, simply because only one can be the best.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/7510858096.jpg]
When you think of 80 tools, think of Tony Gwynn's hitting ability, Mark McGwire's power, Rickey Henderson's speed, Ozzie Smith's defense, Randy Johnson's fastball and Mariano Rivera's cutter.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/9950338830.jpg]
Those are the tools that stand among the greatest individual attributes of all time and are remembered long after the players' careers are over. Five of the six historical cases cited above culminated with the player's election to the Hall of Fame. McGwire would have a strong case if not for admitted steroid use.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/fQGhIQ_xy1693909082591.jpg]
While 80 tools are rare, they are not contained solely to the past. As players have gotten bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive with advances in nutrition, technology and player development, myriad players with 80-grade tools have emerged in MLB in recent years.
We asked MLB all-stars for their thoughts on which players possess 80-grade tools in the game today. All statistics are accurate through mid-August.
SPEED
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds
The game is filled with athletic flyers, including Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll and Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, but De La Cruz is the fastest of them of all.
The Reds rookie has the fastest sprint speed in the majors this year at 30.4 feet per second, just ahead of both Witt and Turner. Beyond just his pure speed, he effectively uses it to change games and is a true 80 runner.
The 6-foot-5 Dominican shortstop closes ground remarkably quickly with his long strides and combines his speed with elite instincts to achieve jaw-dropping feats on the basepaths. His signature moment came July 8 against the Brewers when he stole second base, third base and home in a span of two pitches.
"He's electric, man," said Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray, who faced De La Cruz on July 5. "I think what he brings to the game is something we only see in a few guys."
De La Cruz was 18-for-23 on stolen bases. He owned the three fastest home-to-third times on triples this season. He also owned three of the four fastest home-to-second times on doubles.
Simply put, once he gets underway, De La Cruz outpaces all others.
"It definitely makes your job a little bit tougher," Gray said. "You have to utilize the pitch clock or your disengagements to try and slow him down a bit, keep his feet stuck in the dirt."
Next Best: Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals; Trea Turner, SS, Phillies
ARM
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds Ronald Acuña, Jr., OF, Braves Fernando Tatis Jr., OF, Padres
De La Cruz has the strongest arm of any infielder with room to spare. He set the record for the fastest infield assist ever recorded by Statcast when he unleashed a 99.8 mph relay throw to nab the Giants' Wilmer Flores at the plate on July 20. That broke his own record he had set four days earlier, when he threw a ball 97.9 mph across the diamond from third to first base.
In his first 50 games, De La Cruz already set a record with five infield assists of at least 95 mph, the most of any player in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015. Equally as impressive is how he harnesses that power-De La Cruz had yet to commit a throwing error through those first 50 games.
In terms of outfield arms, Acuña and Tatis combine ANN strength and accuracy to a degree that is the best in the game.
In his first full season 8 as an outfielder, Tatis had recorded 10 assists through Aug. 14 to rank second in the National League. That included a 100 mph one-hopper to the plate to nail Carlos Correa on May 10, a perfect 99.5 mph one-hopper to the plate to throw out Manuel Margot on June 18 and a throw nearly 300 feet in the air to get Vinnie Pasquantino at third base on May 16. He combines that arm strength with exceptional accuracy.
"It's funny to me that guys still test his arm," Padres closer Josh Hader said. "It's one of the strongest arms I've seen from the outfield. And also the accuracy as well... it's perfect. It's on a line, short hop or even a perfect throw that's incredibly hard.
"He knows when he needs to short-hop it to the catcher (and) when he needs to throw on a line."
Acuña's pure arm strength is even more prodigious. The Braves outfielder set the record for fastest throw ever recorded by Statcast last year when he unleashed a 105.8 mph throw to the plate against the Phillies. He once again has the hardest throw in the majors this season at 104.1 mph. While he's slightly less accurate and more error-prone than Tatis, his pure arm strength is virtually unmatched.
"He made a throw in Philly where he caught the ball on like the warning track and you figured he wasn't even going to try," Murphy said. "But he let it go... and then the play was surprisingly close at home. We didn't get him, but it was almost one of those like, 'I can't believe he tried and made it close!"
Next Best: Casey Schmitt, SS/3B, Giants; and Nolan Jones, OF, Rockies
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/9980386638.jpg]
HITTING
Luis Arraez, 2B, Marlins
Arraez was already a batting champion and arguably the game's best pure hitter entering this season. What he's done in 2023 has elevated him to another tier.
Arraez was hitting 401 after play on June 24, though after that point he cooled in his pursuit of the first 400 season since Ted Williams in 1941. Arraez was still batting .356 through Aug. 22. Just 27 others have hit at least .350 in a 162-game season since the 1994 strike.
The list is full of familiar names and is headed by Barry Bonds, Nomar Garciaparra, Tony Gwynn, Todd Helton, Chipper Jones, Joe Mauer, Ichiro Suzuki and Larry Walker.
No hitter had topped .350 since Josh Hamilton in 2010, and most of the highest batting averages-led by Walker's .379 in 1999-are clustered around the higher scoring period at the turn of the century.
"He hits everything," Braves catcher Sean Murphy said. "It's not like there's a hole in the swing. He doesn't really leave the zone, and when he does, he can still hit it. He's just tough.
"Going into games, you know it's gonna be hard to hold him for an oh-fer... He's inevitably going to probably get his knocks. His hands are so good he can get just about everyone.
With his short, sweet lefthanded stroke and exceptional batting eye, Arraez simply has no weaknesses for pitchers to exploit. He was hitting at least .360 in at-bats ending with fastballs, breaking balls or offspeed pitches. He was hitting over .300 against pitches in eight of the nine sectors of the strike zone. He was even batting over 300 against pitches in three of the four quadrants outside of the zone.
Arraez had the highest contact rate in the majors, the lowest strikeout rate and the highest batting average in the game by more than 35 points.
"I mean, we always talk about my eyes, but I think his eyes are way better," Padres outfielder Juan Soto said. "Because the way he's just seeing (the ball) and making contact, it's incredible."
Next Best: Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/0388891869.jpg]
FIELDING
Kevin Kiermaier OF, Blue Jays
Kiermaier has been the standard-bearer for defense in center field since he took over the position full-time for the Rays in 2015. Even at 33 years old and coming off hip surgery last year, he remains a premium defender.
Even after his surgery, Kiermaier remains a top-flight runner who is elite at running balls down in the gaps to both his left and his right. He gets the best jumps in baseball by any measure and is a threat to make a highlight-reel catch on any given night.
"I think his jumps and his first step are about as elite as it can get," Blue Jays right fielder George Springer said. "He covers so much ground and he does it from almost, like, a standstill. He's very good at anticipating where the ball is being hit and the next thing you know, he's just there. It's impressive."
With his continued defensive excellence, Kiermaier has joined the pantheon of the greatest defensive outfielders of all time. While he has won just three Gold Gloves, Kiermaier has fared very well in Best Tools voting by placing top three in his league a total of seven times for Best Defensive Outfielder. Among center fielders, only Ken Griffey Jr. (11), Andruw Jones (10), Torii Hunter (nine), Jim Edmonds (nine) and Devon White (seven) have more top three finishes.
"He doesn't get enough credit for how good he is," Springer said. "I know a lot of people talk about how good he is, but being next to him now, it's really impressive to see how truly good he is."
Next Best: Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates; and Ha-Seong Kim, 2B/SS, Padres
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/8891880717.jpg]
POWER
Aaron Judge OF, Yankees
Shohei Ohtani DH, Angels
When it comes to power, Judge and Ohtani stand alone.
Judge hit an American League-record 62 home runs last season and has the most home runs of any player in the majors since his rookie year in 2017. He once again led the AL in home runs and slugging percentage this year before he tore a ligament in his right toe crashing into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium on June 3.
At 6-foot-7, 282 pounds, Judge's sheer strength sets him apart. His 97.4 mph average exit velocity this year is the highest ever recorded since Statcast began tracking the metric in 2015.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/1960387868.jpg]
"I'm pretty sure Judge has clipped me twice in the last two years and I think they were both opposite way," Rays lefthander Shane McClanahan said. "It's like, man, why are you so strong? Why do you have to do that to me?"
Ohtani is the only player whose power rivals Judge's. The two-way sensation led the AL with 41 home runs and the majors with a .661 slugging percentage through Aug. 14 and had an outside chance to reach Judge's AL record.
What separates Ohtani is his power to all fields. Eighteen of his 41 home runs this season had landed between the left-field foul pole and straightaway center field, including six of 440 feet or farther. He showcased his unparalleled opposite-field power during a four-game series in Texas in June, when he hit three home runs the opposite way into the second deck at Globe Life Park.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/aRnPUMcQ_1693908816097.jpg]
"He came in and went upper deck in our stadium opposite field and you just don't see that," Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said. "The exit velocity and the angle that he's hitting it at is top in the game. I played with guys like Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.) who I thought was the most impressive.
"Then I saw what Shohei did. He's definitely doing the best you can possibly do right now with the power tool."
Next Best: Yordan Alvarez, OF, Astros; and Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/8087907898.jpg]
FASTBALL
Gerrit Cole RHP, Yankees
In the age of power pitching, Cole's combination of velocity, movement and command give him the best fastball in the game.
Cole's four-seam fastball sits 96-97 mph, touches 100 and plays up with high spin rates and late life through the strike zone. Notably, he has dialed his fastball down about 1 mph this year to improve his command. The result has been fewer fastballs left over the heart of the plate, more on the edges of the strike zone and a .212 op...
An 80-grade tool represents the best of the best on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. Some evaluators consider only one player's tool to be an 80 at a given time, simply because only one can be the best.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/7510858096.jpg]
When you think of 80 tools, think of Tony Gwynn's hitting ability, Mark McGwire's power, Rickey Henderson's speed, Ozzie Smith's defense, Randy Johnson's fastball and Mariano Rivera's cutter.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/9950338830.jpg]
Those are the tools that stand among the greatest individual attributes of all time and are remembered long after the players' careers are over. Five of the six historical cases cited above culminated with the player's election to the Hall of Fame. McGwire would have a strong case if not for admitted steroid use.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/fQGhIQ_xy1693909082591.jpg]
While 80 tools are rare, they are not contained solely to the past. As players have gotten bigger, stronger, faster and more explosive with advances in nutrition, technology and player development, myriad players with 80-grade tools have emerged in MLB in recent years.
We asked MLB all-stars for their thoughts on which players possess 80-grade tools in the game today. All statistics are accurate through mid-August.
SPEED
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds
The game is filled with athletic flyers, including Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll and Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, but De La Cruz is the fastest of them of all.
The Reds rookie has the fastest sprint speed in the majors this year at 30.4 feet per second, just ahead of both Witt and Turner. Beyond just his pure speed, he effectively uses it to change games and is a true 80 runner.
The 6-foot-5 Dominican shortstop closes ground remarkably quickly with his long strides and combines his speed with elite instincts to achieve jaw-dropping feats on the basepaths. His signature moment came July 8 against the Brewers when he stole second base, third base and home in a span of two pitches.
"He's electric, man," said Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray, who faced De La Cruz on July 5. "I think what he brings to the game is something we only see in a few guys."
De La Cruz was 18-for-23 on stolen bases. He owned the three fastest home-to-third times on triples this season. He also owned three of the four fastest home-to-second times on doubles.
Simply put, once he gets underway, De La Cruz outpaces all others.
"It definitely makes your job a little bit tougher," Gray said. "You have to utilize the pitch clock or your disengagements to try and slow him down a bit, keep his feet stuck in the dirt."
Next Best: Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals; Trea Turner, SS, Phillies
ARM
Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds Ronald Acuña, Jr., OF, Braves Fernando Tatis Jr., OF, Padres
De La Cruz has the strongest arm of any infielder with room to spare. He set the record for the fastest infield assist ever recorded by Statcast when he unleashed a 99.8 mph relay throw to nab the Giants' Wilmer Flores at the plate on July 20. That broke his own record he had set four days earlier, when he threw a ball 97.9 mph across the diamond from third to first base.
In his first 50 games, De La Cruz already set a record with five infield assists of at least 95 mph, the most of any player in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015. Equally as impressive is how he harnesses that power-De La Cruz had yet to commit a throwing error through those first 50 games.
In terms of outfield arms, Acuña and Tatis combine ANN strength and accuracy to a degree that is the best in the game.
In his first full season 8 as an outfielder, Tatis had recorded 10 assists through Aug. 14 to rank second in the National League. That included a 100 mph one-hopper to the plate to nail Carlos Correa on May 10, a perfect 99.5 mph one-hopper to the plate to throw out Manuel Margot on June 18 and a throw nearly 300 feet in the air to get Vinnie Pasquantino at third base on May 16. He combines that arm strength with exceptional accuracy.
"It's funny to me that guys still test his arm," Padres closer Josh Hader said. "It's one of the strongest arms I've seen from the outfield. And also the accuracy as well... it's perfect. It's on a line, short hop or even a perfect throw that's incredibly hard.
"He knows when he needs to short-hop it to the catcher (and) when he needs to throw on a line."
Acuña's pure arm strength is even more prodigious. The Braves outfielder set the record for fastest throw ever recorded by Statcast last year when he unleashed a 105.8 mph throw to the plate against the Phillies. He once again has the hardest throw in the majors this season at 104.1 mph. While he's slightly less accurate and more error-prone than Tatis, his pure arm strength is virtually unmatched.
"He made a throw in Philly where he caught the ball on like the warning track and you figured he wasn't even going to try," Murphy said. "But he let it go... and then the play was surprisingly close at home. We didn't get him, but it was almost one of those like, 'I can't believe he tried and made it close!"
Next Best: Casey Schmitt, SS/3B, Giants; and Nolan Jones, OF, Rockies
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/9980386638.jpg]
HITTING
Luis Arraez, 2B, Marlins
Arraez was already a batting champion and arguably the game's best pure hitter entering this season. What he's done in 2023 has elevated him to another tier.
Arraez was hitting 401 after play on June 24, though after that point he cooled in his pursuit of the first 400 season since Ted Williams in 1941. Arraez was still batting .356 through Aug. 22. Just 27 others have hit at least .350 in a 162-game season since the 1994 strike.
The list is full of familiar names and is headed by Barry Bonds, Nomar Garciaparra, Tony Gwynn, Todd Helton, Chipper Jones, Joe Mauer, Ichiro Suzuki and Larry Walker.
No hitter had topped .350 since Josh Hamilton in 2010, and most of the highest batting averages-led by Walker's .379 in 1999-are clustered around the higher scoring period at the turn of the century.
"He hits everything," Braves catcher Sean Murphy said. "It's not like there's a hole in the swing. He doesn't really leave the zone, and when he does, he can still hit it. He's just tough.
"Going into games, you know it's gonna be hard to hold him for an oh-fer... He's inevitably going to probably get his knocks. His hands are so good he can get just about everyone.
With his short, sweet lefthanded stroke and exceptional batting eye, Arraez simply has no weaknesses for pitchers to exploit. He was hitting at least .360 in at-bats ending with fastballs, breaking balls or offspeed pitches. He was hitting over .300 against pitches in eight of the nine sectors of the strike zone. He was even batting over 300 against pitches in three of the four quadrants outside of the zone.
Arraez had the highest contact rate in the majors, the lowest strikeout rate and the highest batting average in the game by more than 35 points.
"I mean, we always talk about my eyes, but I think his eyes are way better," Padres outfielder Juan Soto said. "Because the way he's just seeing (the ball) and making contact, it's incredible."
Next Best: Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/0388891869.jpg]
FIELDING
Kevin Kiermaier OF, Blue Jays
Kiermaier has been the standard-bearer for defense in center field since he took over the position full-time for the Rays in 2015. Even at 33 years old and coming off hip surgery last year, he remains a premium defender.
Even after his surgery, Kiermaier remains a top-flight runner who is elite at running balls down in the gaps to both his left and his right. He gets the best jumps in baseball by any measure and is a threat to make a highlight-reel catch on any given night.
"I think his jumps and his first step are about as elite as it can get," Blue Jays right fielder George Springer said. "He covers so much ground and he does it from almost, like, a standstill. He's very good at anticipating where the ball is being hit and the next thing you know, he's just there. It's impressive."
With his continued defensive excellence, Kiermaier has joined the pantheon of the greatest defensive outfielders of all time. While he has won just three Gold Gloves, Kiermaier has fared very well in Best Tools voting by placing top three in his league a total of seven times for Best Defensive Outfielder. Among center fielders, only Ken Griffey Jr. (11), Andruw Jones (10), Torii Hunter (nine), Jim Edmonds (nine) and Devon White (seven) have more top three finishes.
"He doesn't get enough credit for how good he is," Springer said. "I know a lot of people talk about how good he is, but being next to him now, it's really impressive to see how truly good he is."
Next Best: Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates; and Ha-Seong Kim, 2B/SS, Padres
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/8891880717.jpg]
POWER
Aaron Judge OF, Yankees
Shohei Ohtani DH, Angels
When it comes to power, Judge and Ohtani stand alone.
Judge hit an American League-record 62 home runs last season and has the most home runs of any player in the majors since his rookie year in 2017. He once again led the AL in home runs and slugging percentage this year before he tore a ligament in his right toe crashing into the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium on June 3.
At 6-foot-7, 282 pounds, Judge's sheer strength sets him apart. His 97.4 mph average exit velocity this year is the highest ever recorded since Statcast began tracking the metric in 2015.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/1960387868.jpg]
"I'm pretty sure Judge has clipped me twice in the last two years and I think they were both opposite way," Rays lefthander Shane McClanahan said. "It's like, man, why are you so strong? Why do you have to do that to me?"
Ohtani is the only player whose power rivals Judge's. The two-way sensation led the AL with 41 home runs and the majors with a .661 slugging percentage through Aug. 14 and had an outside chance to reach Judge's AL record.
What separates Ohtani is his power to all fields. Eighteen of his 41 home runs this season had landed between the left-field foul pole and straightaway center field, including six of 440 feet or farther. He showcased his unparalleled opposite-field power during a four-game series in Texas in June, when he hit three home runs the opposite way into the second deck at Globe Life Park.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/aRnPUMcQ_1693908816097.jpg]
"He came in and went upper deck in our stadium opposite field and you just don't see that," Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said. "The exit velocity and the angle that he's hitting it at is top in the game. I played with guys like Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.) who I thought was the most impressive.
"Then I saw what Shohei did. He's definitely doing the best you can possibly do right now with the power tool."
Next Best: Yordan Alvarez, OF, Astros; and Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1398697516/1693837706/articles/xHRzCoZG41693908054443/8087907898.jpg]
FASTBALL
Gerrit Cole RHP, Yankees
In the age of power pitching, Cole's combination of velocity, movement and command give him the best fastball in the game.
Cole's four-seam fastball sits 96-97 mph, touches 100 and plays up with high spin rates and late life through the strike zone. Notably, he has dialed his fastball down about 1 mph this year to improve his command. The result has been fewer fastballs left over the heart of the plate, more on the edges of the strike zone and a .212 op...
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Baseball America (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2023