Okay, so I’ve been getting into baseball lately, and I wanted to really understand the basics. I kept hearing about the “five tools” of a baseball player, and I was like, “What the heck does that even mean?” So, I did some digging, and here’s what I found out, plus how I tried to, uh, “test” them myself (spoiler: I’m no pro).
Hitting for Average
First up was hitting for average. I understood that this meant, you’re good at gettin’ on base, don’t strikeout. I grabbed my old, dusty bat from the garage – the one I used in high school, like, a million years ago.
I got my buddy Mark to pitch to me in the park. We’re talking slow pitches here, nothing fancy. I figured, “Okay, let’s just see if I can make contact.” First few pitches? Whiff! Total air. Mark was chuckling, of course.
I focused, I tried to shorten my swing. Finally, thwack! I connected! A weak little grounder, but hey, it was contact! I did this for, I don’t know, maybe 30 minutes? I got a few more hits, mostly dribblers, but my “average” was probably, well, let’s just say it wasn’t great.
Hitting for Power
Next, hitting for power. This is all about the home runs, the big hits, driving the ball deep.I was already tired from, my batting practice. Mark kept pitching, and I was swinging for the fences… literally.
Most of my swings were still misses, I did connect a few times. One even went kinda far! Okay, maybe not super far, but it cleared the imaginary infield we’d set up. Mark called it a “double,” I’m still celebrating it as my personal home run.
Running Speed
Then I learned about running speed. Easy enough to understand – how fast can you get around the bases? I hadn’t sprinted in years. We marked out a makeshift “base path” in the grass (it was probably way shorter than a real one).
Mark timed me with his phone. I took off, pumping my arms, legs burning. I felt so slow. I think I pulled a hamstring. Mark just shook his head and showed me the timer. Let’s just say I won’t be stealing any bases anytime soon.
Fielding Ability
Number four was fielding. This means how good you are at catching, and how smoothly. I borrowed a glove – it was stiff and smelled like old leather. Mark started tossing me some easy grounders.
The first few? Right through my legs. I felt like a total klutz. Then I remembered some coaching I got back, bend your knees, get in front of the ball. I started to get the hang of it, I even caught a few pop flies without dropping them! It felt pretty good, actually.
Throwing Arm
Lastly is the throwing arm. This is about how strong, and also how accurate, you can throw the ball. My arm was already sore from the “power hitting” experiment.
Mark stood at the make base, and I tried to throw him out. My first few throws were… pathetic. They bounced way before they reached him. I tried to put more “oomph” into it, but that just made them go wild. Eventually, I got a couple of throws close to him, though I don’t think I’d be striking anyone out with my arm.
So, that was my super scientific, not-at-all-professional attempt to understand the five tools of a baseball player. I definitely have a newfound respect for those guys. It’s way harder than it looks! I’m sticking to watching the games for now, I pull my hamstring.
