If Cristiano Ronaldo played baseball: outfield, rated 89

Cristiano Ronaldo as a baseball player: scouting report

Cristiano Ronaldo would patrol center field, and he would treat every fly ball like a cross into the box. His leaping headers are among the most famous jumps in modern football, timed to the instant the ball arrives, and that same timing is what lets a center fielder rob a home run at the wall. He won five Ballon d'Or awards and became the leading goalscorer in the history of men's international football on the back of relentless conditioning, exactly the base a player needs to cover the biggest patch of grass on the field.

His speed is the best part of his card and his fielding is right alongside it. He gets great jumps, closes on balls in the gap and makes the hard catch look routine. At the plate his eye is elite, which fits a forward who spent more than two decades waiting for the one chance a defense gives up; he will lay off junk and punish mistakes. The contact is strong and there is real pop in the bat as well, enough to hit third instead of leadoff.

The arm is the one soft spot. Runners will try to take the extra base on him, so pair him with a corner outfielder who throws well and a sharp cutoff man. Ronaldo moved from Sporting to Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus and adapted every time, and the game rewards that versatility: he slides to second base or shortstop with only a small drop. Take him early. A player with this blend of speed, glove and eye anchors a lineup for years.

Plays like A five tool center fielder who wins every ball in the air

Put Cristiano Ronaldo in your lineup

12 rolls, nine hitters and a rotation, 162 games. Can you win 117? Free, no account.