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Imperialism32 · 05-17-2020, 04:39 PM

April 14, 1960

Best Tools Report - Hitters

Every year I talk to dozens of scouts across the globe to get their thoughts on which players boast the best tools. For even-numbered years I look at hitters and odd-numbered years are for pitchers. Here are the categories:
Best Overall Hitter - Awarded to the player with the best combination of contact, gap, power, and eye
Best Contact Hitter - These players are going to threaten for the batting title
Best Power Hitter - Because chicks dig the long ball
Most Discerning Eye - A walk's as good as a hit, right?
Best Baserunner - Find out who'll be blazing on the basepaths.
Best Defender - Web gems! We've got some web gems!

Click HERE for a much larger version for better zooming.

Best Overall Hitter
Australasian League: RF Han-Soo Park, Canberra Rattlers (HM: RF Mathew Alkire, Yokohama Lynx)
Caribbean League: 2B Maximo Loaiza, Kingston Cockatoos (HM: 1B Severo Sanchez, La Romana Rascals)
European Premier League: CF Václav Kanerva, London Werewolves (HM: 3B Mel Martin, Kiev Comets)
North American League: SS Jay Givens, Boston Bombers (LF Josh Dillow, Kansas City Wheat Kings)

Scout's Take: "To me, Park is the best hitter in the world right now. He maybe won't lead the league in home runs but you're talking about a guy who can hit .330 and get on base other ways, too. [NOTE: Park hit .333/.452/.567 in 15 World Baseball Championship games] Maximo Loaiza is similarly well-rounded but Park is a touch better across the board. A few years ago I would have said Givens but he's on the wrong side of 30 now. He also plays a terrific shortstop and can run a bit compared to those two, so if you're asking about the best player then it's probably him, but for just hitting he's a bit behind. I would've loved to see what kind of numbers he could've put up in a league like this if he were Park's age. Kanerva is fourth for me in this group but he's no slouch, and he's also the youngest (23). And he's doing it a premium position like Givens, too."

Best Contact Hitter
Australasian League: LF Milton Link, Sydney Soar (HM: CF Nobuhiro Niita, Melbourne Mudfish)
Caribbean League: SS Jay Reyes, Barranquilla Warhawks (HM: RF Nicolás Navas, Havana Lightning)
European Premier League: SS Olivier Roosmalen, Berlin Knights (HM: 1B Syarhey Sverchinski, Madrid Kings)
North American League: LF Josh Dillow, Kansas City Wheat Kings (HM: SS Otis Smythe, Seattle Bluejackets)

Scout's Take: "Olivier Roosmalen is the answer and I think even the scouts who spit on European players would say that. I still hear people saying that Euro ball is a rung below the US and the Caribbean and Asian countries but I saw Roosmalen hit last year against a team of Cuban all-stars and he was the best hitter on the field by far. He hit .310 in the WBC and had 3 HRs in 7 games, and that's not even his game. He's gonna sting line drives all over the field and if anyone is gonna threaten .400 he's my bet. Oh, and he's right up there on the defensive list too. He can really get after it at shortstop.

Reyes is probably the next best of the bunch. He and Milton Link are both older guys but they still have some of the best wrists I've seen. Reyes is the better overall hitter but Link is damn near impossible to strike out. Dillow's young still (24) but he's already a better overall hitter than Reyes and Link. But you asked about contact only, so I'd put him 4th."

Best Power Hitter
Australasian League: RF Mathew Alkire, Yokogama Lynx (HM: CF Shunli Li, Tokyo Tsunami)
Caribbean League: 1B Severo Sanchez, La Romana Rascals (HM: 1B Luis Cueva, Barranquilla Warhawks)
European Premier League: RF Dilano Salij, London Werewolves (HM: 1B Tomas Tucios, Warsaw Trappers)
North American League: 1B Ryne Howells, Los Angeles Seraphs (HM: LF Noah Edenfield, Phoenix Devils)

Scout's Take: "This one's harder to say for sure. Playing with uniform rules and in more similar ballparks will help clear it up. I'd pay to see Mathew Alkire do anything on the baseball diamond, I'll tell you that. Matter of fact, he might be the second-best hitter in the world after Park. Howells is, what, 5-foot-11? It's crazy to see him launching balls just as far as Severo Sanchez who's 6-2, 220. I don't know how you say one is better than the other at hitting for power. I'd put Salij last, not because he lacks the power but because he doesn't always seem to have his head screwed on straight."

Most Discerning Eye
Australasian League: RF Han-Soo Park, Canberra Rattlers (HM: 1B Kevin Dawkes, Mumbai Vipers)
Caribbean League: 2B Maximo Loaiza, Kingston Cockatoos (HM: RF J.C. Garcia, Panama City Seabees)
European Premier League: CF Václav Kanerva, London Werewolves (HM: CF Rowdy Almanzar, Copenhagen Condors)
North American League: SS Jay Givens, Boston Bombers (HM: LF Noah Edenfield, Phoenix Devils)

Scout's Take: "It's Park again. Not surprising, by the way, that all four of these guys are on another list, too. It's not just that they know how to draw a walk, they know how to work the count and make the pitcher throw them something he doesn't want to. Park is a hitting savant and he does it better than anybody. Givens, like I said, five years ago he was on that level. Now he's one notch below. Loaiza just drew 10 walks in 15 WBC games, and that was in a loaded Dominican lineup. And it's a shame we're comparing Kanerva to these guys and putting him at #4 but he's 23 years old, plays center field, and can really run. If you asked me one batter to take to start my franchise with... well, it's Park, but Kanerva is probably second."

Best Baserunner
Australasian League: CF Katsuma Watanabe, New Delhi Monarchs (HM: 2B Harshan Candramani, Hong Kong Claws)
Caribbean League: SS Sebastian Cajar, Panama City Seabees (HM: LF Pirro Gonzalez, Maracaibo Gledes)
European Premier League: CF Lucas Dawson, Paris Pride (HM: 1B Freyr Hellmann, Kiev Comets)
North American League: LF Jordan Fenton, Atlanta Razorbacks (HM: SS Upton Abdul, Toronto Giants)

Scout's Take: "All of these guys are absolute burners. Dawson was the only guy we got to see in the WBC and of course he stole 2 bases in 7 games. The thing about three of these guys is when you watch them they go hard all the time. And it's not false hustle. I can't say one is faster the other but if you put them on a track and raced 'em against each other, I'd be first in line to buy tickets. The one exception is Cajar. I've heard too much smoke about him. He might demand 50% of the profits before he even thought about showing up."

Best Defender
Australasian League: CF Katsuma Watanabe, New Delhi Monarchs (HM: SS Taiki Kimura, Perth Paladins)
Caribbean League: SS Juan Machado, Panama City Seabees (HM: 3B Antonio Santana, Willemstad Wings)
European Premier League: CF Tom Caillaux, Vienna Wolf Pack (HM: SS Gerd Celer, Madrid Kings)
North American League: CF Noah Durst, Montreal Paragons (HM: SS Isaac Mohammed, Kansas City Wheat Kings)

Scout's Take: "Really tough again, especially comparing different positions. Tom Caillaux is probably the slowest of the three centerfielders but he finds a way to track down just as many balls. He and Durst are good enough hitters to be in the lineup every single day. I'm not sure that's true for Watanabe. His best role is probably pinch-running and coming in late for defense. Same thing for Machado. He's the best defensive infielder I've ever seen but he's stuck on the same team as Cajar who's no slouch at shortstop either. Tell you what, I wouldn't want to be Panama City's manager dealing with that."

05-17-2020, 04:39 PM	#11
Imperialism32 Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 341	April 14, 1960 Best Tools Report - Hitters Every year I talk to dozens of scouts across the globe to get their thoughts on which players boast the best tools. For even-numbered years I look at hitters and odd-numbered years are for pitchers. Here are the categories: Best Overall Hitter - Awarded to the player with the best combination of contact, gap, power, and eye Best Contact Hitter - These players are going to threaten for the batting title Best Power Hitter - Because chicks dig the long ball Most Discerning Eye - A walk's as good as a hit, right? Best Baserunner - Find out who'll be blazing on the basepaths. Best Defender - Web gems! We've got some web gems! Click HERE for a much larger version for better zooming. Best Overall Hitter Australasian League: RF Han-Soo Park, Canberra Rattlers (HM: RF Mathew Alkire, Yokohama Lynx) Caribbean League: 2B Maximo Loaiza, Kingston Cockatoos (HM: 1B Severo Sanchez, La Romana Rascals) European Premier League: CF Václav Kanerva, London Werewolves (HM: 3B Mel Martin, Kiev Comets) North American League: SS Jay Givens, Boston Bombers (LF Josh Dillow, Kansas City Wheat Kings) Scout's Take: "To me, Park is the best hitter in the world right now. He maybe won't lead the league in home runs but you're talking about a guy who can hit .330 and get on base other ways, too. [NOTE: Park hit .333/.452/.567 in 15 World Baseball Championship games] Maximo Loaiza is similarly well-rounded but Park is a touch better across the board. A few years ago I would have said Givens but he's on the wrong side of 30 now. He also plays a terrific shortstop and can run a bit compared to those two, so if you're asking about the best player then it's probably him, but for just hitting he's a bit behind. I would've loved to see what kind of numbers he could've put up in a league like this if he were Park's age. Kanerva is fourth for me in this group but he's no slouch, and he's also the youngest (23). And he's doing it a premium position like Givens, too." Best Contact Hitter Australasian League: LF Milton Link, Sydney Soar (HM: CF Nobuhiro Niita, Melbourne Mudfish) Caribbean League: SS Jay Reyes, Barranquilla Warhawks (HM: RF Nicolás Navas, Havana Lightning) European Premier League: SS Olivier Roosmalen, Berlin Knights (HM: 1B Syarhey Sverchinski, Madrid Kings) North American League: LF Josh Dillow, Kansas City Wheat Kings (HM: SS Otis Smythe, Seattle Bluejackets) Scout's Take: "Olivier Roosmalen is the answer and I think even the scouts who spit on European players would say that. I still hear people saying that Euro ball is a rung below the US and the Caribbean and Asian countries but I saw Roosmalen hit last year against a team of Cuban all-stars and he was the best hitter on the field by far. He hit .310 in the WBC and had 3 HRs in 7 games, and that's not even his game. He's gonna sting line drives all over the field and if anyone is gonna threaten .400 he's my bet. Oh, and he's right up there on the defensive list too. He can really get after it at shortstop. Reyes is probably the next best of the bunch. He and Milton Link are both older guys but they still have some of the best wrists I've seen. Reyes is the better overall hitter but Link is damn near impossible to strike out. Dillow's young still (24) but he's already a better overall hitter than Reyes and Link. But you asked about contact only, so I'd put him 4th." Best Power Hitter Australasian League: RF Mathew Alkire, Yokogama Lynx (HM: CF Shunli Li, Tokyo Tsunami) Caribbean League: 1B Severo Sanchez, La Romana Rascals (HM: 1B Luis Cueva, Barranquilla Warhawks) European Premier League: RF Dilano Salij, London Werewolves (HM: 1B Tomas Tucios, Warsaw Trappers) North American League: 1B Ryne Howells, Los Angeles Seraphs (HM: LF Noah Edenfield, Phoenix Devils) Scout's Take: "This one's harder to say for sure. Playing with uniform rules and in more similar ballparks will help clear it up. I'd pay to see Mathew Alkire do anything on the baseball diamond, I'll tell you that. Matter of fact, he might be the second-best hitter in the world after Park. Howells is, what, 5-foot-11? It's crazy to see him launching balls just as far as Severo Sanchez who's 6-2, 220. I don't know how you say one is better than the other at hitting for power. I'd put Salij last, not because he lacks the power but because he doesn't always seem to have his head screwed on straight." Most Discerning Eye Australasian League: RF Han-Soo Park, Canberra Rattlers (HM: 1B Kevin Dawkes, Mumbai Vipers) Caribbean League: 2B Maximo Loaiza, Kingston Cockatoos (HM: RF J.C. Garcia, Panama City Seabees) European Premier League: CF Václav Kanerva, London Werewolves (HM: CF Rowdy Almanzar, Copenhagen Condors) North American League: SS Jay Givens, Boston Bombers (HM: LF Noah Edenfield, Phoenix Devils) Scout's Take: "It's Park again. Not surprising, by the way, that all four of these guys are on another list, too. It's not just that they know how to draw a walk, they know how to work the count and make the pitcher throw them something he doesn't want to. Park is a hitting savant and he does it better than anybody. Givens, like I said, five years ago he was on that level. Now he's one notch below. Loaiza just drew 10 walks in 15 WBC games, and that was in a loaded Dominican lineup. And it's a shame we're comparing Kanerva to these guys and putting him at #4 but he's 23 years old, plays center field, and can really run. If you asked me one batter to take to start my franchise with... well, it's Park, but Kanerva is probably second." Best Baserunner Australasian League: CF Katsuma Watanabe, New Delhi Monarchs (HM: 2B Harshan Candramani, Hong Kong Claws) Caribbean League: SS Sebastian Cajar, Panama City Seabees (HM: LF Pirro Gonzalez, Maracaibo Gledes) European Premier League: CF Lucas Dawson, Paris Pride (HM: 1B Freyr Hellmann, Kiev Comets) North American League: LF Jordan Fenton, Atlanta Razorbacks (HM: SS Upton Abdul, Toronto Giants) Scout's Take: "All of these guys are absolute burners. Dawson was the only guy we got to see in the WBC and of course he stole 2 bases in 7 games. The thing about three of these guys is when you watch them they go hard all the time. And it's not false hustle. I can't say one is faster the other but if you put them on a track and raced 'em against each other, I'd be first in line to buy tickets. The one exception is Cajar. I've heard too much smoke about him. He might demand 50% of the profits before he even thought about showing up." Best Defender Australasian League: CF Katsuma Watanabe, New Delhi Monarchs (HM: SS Taiki Kimura, Perth Paladins) Caribbean League: SS Juan Machado, Panama City Seabees (HM: 3B Antonio Santana, Willemstad Wings) European Premier League: CF Tom Caillaux, Vienna Wolf Pack (HM: SS Gerd Celer, Madrid Kings) North American League: CF Noah Durst, Montreal Paragons (HM: SS Isaac Mohammed, Kansas City Wheat Kings) Scout's Take: "Really tough again, especially comparing different positions. Tom Caillaux is probably the slowest of the three centerfielders but he finds a way to track down just as many balls. He and Durst are good enough hitters to be in the lineup every single day. I'm not sure that's true for Watanabe. His best role is probably pinch-running and coming in late for defense. Same thing for Machado. He's the best defensive infielder I've ever seen but he's stuck on the same team as Cajar who's no slouch at shortstop either. Tell you what, I wouldn't want to be Panama City's manager dealing with that." Last edited by Imperialism32; 05-19-2020 at 06:41 PM.