If Kobe Bryant played baseball: outfield, rated 90

Kobe Bryant as a baseball player: scouting report

Kobe Bryant was famous for workouts that started before sunrise, and that obsession with preparation is why he would roam center field. The outfield rewards the player who has studied the hitter, the wind and the angles before the ball is ever struck, and Kobe studied everything. He won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and earned twelve All Defensive team selections, so the instinct to read a play early is already there.

At the plate he is a nightmare. His eye is the best mark on his card and his contact is right behind it, the same footwork and balance that made his fadeaway jumper famous now turned into a short, quiet swing that sprays line drives to all fields. He scored eighty one points in a single game in 2006, and a hitter with that appetite would never give away an at bat. His speed and fielding are both elite, so he runs down balls in the gap and takes the extra base whenever an outfielder lobs the ball back in.

His arm is the soft spot, the one tool that falls short of the others, so play him in center or left rather than right and let a strong armed teammate handle the long throws to third. He spent much of his childhood in Italy, where his father played professionally, and came home fluent in Italian and comfortable in any setting. That adaptability shows on his card too: second base and shortstop both rate well. Take him in the first round, bat him second or third and let him set the standard for the clubhouse.

Plays like A relentless center fielder who outworks everyone in the park

Put Kobe Bryant in your lineup

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