Every five-tool major-leaguer has the same talents and, it turns out, almost the same short shelf life. For the most part, being a five-tool player — hitting for average, hitting with power, running, fielding and throwing — is a 20s thing. By the time a player hits 30, he either loses a tool, maybe more, or stops using all of his tools.

"Assuming you have those skills to begin with, you have to maintain them," said one veteran National League scout. "You don't see guys doing it. How many guys have great throwing arms? How many good baserunners are there? There aren't that many players who pay attention to details. That's why five-tool guys only last five years, maybe seven."

Moral to the story: Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, a card-carrying member of the Five-Tool Fraternity — a defending batting champion, a potential home run champion, a Gold Glove winner and a guy who stole 26 bases a season ago — had better enjoy the ride while he can. CarGo's only 25, but the clock already is ticking.

"It's hard because you have to work hard on everything," he said. "Throwing, fielding, running the bases . . . it takes time. You have to make sure you get your work done, but you're always concentrating on hitting."

Some five-tool players remain capable of excelling at all five skills into their 30s, but their bats are so vital to their team's success they often aren't asked to do it all. Teams would rather get the offensive production and not risk their star trying to do everything.


"When you get older, you have to concentrate on the two most important things — hitting and fielding," Gonzalez said. "You do less running."

Ken Griffey Jr. walked that road. He's one of many players whose five-tool days didn't last nearly as long as they once promised to. In his 20s, Barry Bonds had five tools. By his mid-30s, he had two tools. Jose Canseco went from five tools to doing soccer headers with flyballs almost overnight. Alex Rodriguez? He once was a threat to steal 30 bases. No more.

Already, we're seeing signs of the Rockies' willingness to lessen CarGo's impact defensively to ensure his healthy presence as their No. 3 hitter. Manager Jim Tracy announced early in spring training that Gonzalez would play solely left field, instead of bouncing around among all three outfield spots, which he did a season ago in winning his first Gold Glove.

As the 2011 season begins, though, CarGo may be baseball's pre-eminent five-tool player. Two others on the list in recent years, Grady Sizemore and Jimmy Rollins, have dropped off the radar. Two others who appear to have the skills to join the list, outfielders Justin Upton and Matt Kemp, may never take that step.

The bottom line: The list isn't long, and CarGo is near the top, if not at it.

"He's a rarity, a gem without a doubt," said one scout. "What is he, 25? He has maybe three or four more years to show all those tools. When he hits 30, you'll see some, but not all on the same day. The amazing part about him is how fast he turned things around. Everybody wondered about him when two organizations let him go, but he's gone from a 4 to a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. He's finally figured this game out."

Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com

Five tools, few players

How rare are five-tool players in today's major leagues? We were going to list five in each league, but couldn't come up with five legitimate candidates in the American League who excel at hitting for average, hitting for power and fielding, running and throwing. So here's our top three five-tool players in both leagues:


• Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis. He has stolen a total of 30 bags the last two seasons. That isn't easy when you jog around the bases as often as Pujols does. Had the lowest average (.312) of his career a season ago, but it wasn't exactly a lost season for the game's best player. Led the NL in homers, runs, RBIs.

• Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Colorado. Appears to be a 30-home-run, 30-stolen- base man waiting to happen. An absolute beast at Coors Field. One year after winning a batting title, he's a threat to win a home run crown. Oh, and did we mention he's the most versatile outfielder in baseball?


• Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida. Given some of his attitude issues, you wonder if, at age 27, his best years are behind him. Had a poor year defensively in 2010, but has the skills to re-establish himself on this list. Can do everything.


• Carl Crawford, OF, Boston. He comes with an asterisk because, while he's a great left fielder, he has steadfastly refused to play center, where he could make a greater impact. Now for the good stuff: He's still an elite base-stealer, and his power numbers have continued to rise. He could hit 25 bombs at Fenway Park.

• Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas. You wonder what his career would have been if not for the demons, but he still has off-the-charts skills. If he stays healthy, he's a Triple Crown threat. Now for the fine print: Plays out of position in center field, where's he's average, but if he played a corner outfield spot, he would be special. Could run more than he does.

• Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Cleveland. OK, so he's a poor man's five-tool player. But our other options were Alex Rios, given up for dead by Toronto two years ago, and four-toolers Ichiro Suzuki and Robinson Cano. Give Choo his due. He has had three consecutive .300 seasons and back-to-back 20-20 seasons, and he has an Ichiro-caliber gun in right field.

Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post