Peter at Padres Rundown has a nice interview with Kevin Goldstein from Baseball America.
Now, correct me if you know better, but I get the impression that most of the Baseball America guys are more concerned with tools than actual production. The five tools, in case you didn't know, are as follows:
- Tall
- Dark
- Handsome
- Nice Smile
- Looks Good in Baseball Pants
But perhaps, just perhaps, the short, powerful body is actually the best body for a baseball player. Long arms really do not help you when you're hitting; short arms work better.
He then goes on to list some players with that type body, including Yogi Berra, Kirby Puckett, Roy Campanella, Matt Stairs, Honus Wagner and Rickey Henderson. Bill James doesn't mention it in that particular write up, but we know those guys as being smart about baseball and gutsy as well.So here's the tools that I look for:
- Guts
- Desire
- Stockiness
- Baseball Smarts
- Steel Balls