Sentence:  With the speed and power of the body beautiful he saw before him , Ol ' Case wanted No. 7 to <WSD>be</WSD> not only the best homerun hitter , but also the best bunter , base-runner and outfielder . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)