For baseball fans young, old, and in between, this is the ultimate guide to the new statistical thinking that's revolutionizing the game. Charts & ...
read full description
reviews
Mar 13, 2011
Bucko
rated it: 
If you don't know much about baseball, but you're looking for a book to help you gain a better understanding of the sport, this is NOT the place to start. This is a book for a pretty advanced baseball enthusiast, someone who not only likes baseball, but is also generally interested in economics and thinking about numbers. It is a collection of essays, each dealing with a different topic, but using the same techniques to analyze how we understand what we are seeing when we watch a baseball game
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Sep 28, 2010
Dan
rated it: 
A total stats geek's wet dream about baseball. This anthology of articles about statistical analysis of baseball players and strategy debunks a century's worth of misconceptions. Each article in the book asks an innocent sounding question (e.g., is David Ortiz a clutch hitter), and uses it as the impetus to explore the value of existing statistical measures (e.g., batting average) for evaluating concepts that are actually relevant to baseball (e.g., runs scored by a team).
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 04, 2011
jeremy
rated it:
baseball between the numbers, and sabermetric analysis of the game in general, has many proponents, but is not without its fair share of detractors. through advanced statistical examination (regression analysis, correlation studies, algorithms, etc.), there are many that believe baseball can be more clearly understood (with the implications being that individual player talent can be more accurately defined, and, thus, managers can use this information to increase the overall success of their re
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Nov 13, 2010
Joel
rated it:
It may be easy for me to give a baseball-related book 5 stars, and I may have already known most of the things talked about in this book, but it doesn't make it any less of a necessary primer on sabermetrics for any intelligent baseball fan.
I originally gave "The Book" five stars, but after reading this, I realize that was a bit ridiculous. "The Book" is practically the textbook it's filled with so many numbers and formulas. Baseball Between the Numbers balances act More...
I originally gave "The Book" five stars, but after reading this, I realize that was a bit ridiculous. "The Book" is practically the textbook it's filled with so many numbers and formulas. Baseball Between the Numbers balances act More...
Jun 17, 2009
Noah
rated it:
A fantastic book for anyone who is at least a casual baseball fan. While the book contains tons of numbers and statistics, you do not need to be a statistician to read this. Much of the complex analysis is not part of this book.
BP has made an incredible contribution to baseball and stats such as OBP, VORP and WXRL are becoming more commonplace.
From my perspective, the greatest contribution by Sabermatricians is that the game is coming around to rewarding the players that More...
BP has made an incredible contribution to baseball and stats such as OBP, VORP and WXRL are becoming more commonplace.
From my perspective, the greatest contribution by Sabermatricians is that the game is coming around to rewarding the players that More...
Oct 25, 2007
Mike
rated it:
Is it too much to ask that Joe Morgan and Tim McCarver read a book like this and seriously consider some of the information??? Would Morgan then finally stop talking about the "little things" that makes a team win?!??!
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 03, 2011
Chad
rated it:
Great book for baseball fans who want to understand the game beyond the traditional old-school stats. Chapters on clutch hitting, the RBI, stolen bases, and what a pitcher truly controls were fantastic. Unfortunately, the book lost just a bit of steam in the middle when it discussed topics that left the baseball diamond like player values. That article in particular seemed to use an obviously insufficient body of evidence to surmise whether players earn their salaries.
This book ma More...
This book ma More...
Jul 09, 2011
Brian
rated it:
This collection of Baseball Prospectus (BP) articles is a great intro to sabermetrics. There are discussions on Value Over Replacement Player, Win Expectancy, Equivalent Runs, and many other statistics that the BP team developed to get a deeper, more accurate understanding of how measurable metrics reflect actual player value.
They demonstrate the error of trusting some of the traditional statistics that have been used to value players for years. Stats such as RBIs & batting average More...
They demonstrate the error of trusting some of the traditional statistics that have been used to value players for years. Stats such as RBIs & batting average More...
Sep 28, 2010
Kevin
rated it: 
Alphabet soup and then some. It had been years since I've read a baseball book of any kind, and with Baseball Prospectus seeming to be a knowledgeable group I thought this might be a decent read.
The writing is mediocre at best as the BP "team of experts" loves to quote their own research from previously published articles. There is a tendency by BP to say "should have" and "could have" in reference to a game that is in their own words, unpredictable More...
The writing is mediocre at best as the BP "team of experts" loves to quote their own research from previously published articles. There is a tendency by BP to say "should have" and "could have" in reference to a game that is in their own words, unpredictable More...
Sep 28, 2010
Shane
rated it:
A truly excellent collection of a variety of deeply statistical investigations to answer such questions as "What's the matter with RBI?", "Why are pitchers so unpredictable?", and "How much does Coors field really matter?" Each "chapter" features three related individual questions that are addressed. What's fantastic about this book is the way in which it is written - this isn't really about statistics as numbers, it's about analyzing the game of baseball
More...
Jul 03, 2011
max
rated it:
While much has changed in baseball since even 2006 when this book was published--including the return of the pitcher, fewer steroid-fueled home runs, and an increased focus on fielding--one of the most important developments has been the continued rise of statistical analysis in front office decision making.
In 2006, several clubs still held out against the crucial statistical terms discussed in this book, such as value over replacement level, on-base percentage, PECOTA, sample size, More...
In 2006, several clubs still held out against the crucial statistical terms discussed in this book, such as value over replacement level, on-base percentage, PECOTA, sample size, More...
Mar 11, 2008
Greg
rated it:
Great book, goes into some interesting discussions. However, the book wreaks of intellectual property and trade secrets. Every time the authors have a chance to explain something in detail, they instead defer to explaining it in general layman's terms as if we cannot possibly be intelligent enough to follow some of the gritty details involved in the thought process that went into generating some of their statistical measurements. The authors stay annoyingly predictable in their descriptions of t
More...
Mar 30, 2008
rmn
rated it: 
This book should have been right up my alley. It is about baseball, numbers, and trying to disprove/find the truth in well accepted beliefs.
Given that, it is the only book I think i have ever started and not finished, except for maybe anything by Willaim Burroughs (maybe one day I'll try Naked Lunch again but but I am 0 for 2 in getting past page 10).
Anyway, the authors put forth interesting analysis but their writing is uneven to be charitable and they manipulate numb More...
Given that, it is the only book I think i have ever started and not finished, except for maybe anything by Willaim Burroughs (maybe one day I'll try Naked Lunch again but but I am 0 for 2 in getting past page 10).
Anyway, the authors put forth interesting analysis but their writing is uneven to be charitable and they manipulate numb More...
Sep 28, 2010
Belsherj
rated it:
How can you not give a book at least four stars that was written by a "team of experts"?
Baseball Between the Numbers has much better writing than books like this usually do (I read it over a 4 day period). The chapters are structured around specific questions like "Did Derek Jeter Deserve the Gold Glove?" that are used to discuss larger issues like evaluating defense, the value of a stolen base or the most effective method of using closers, etc...I found the ch More...
Baseball Between the Numbers has much better writing than books like this usually do (I read it over a 4 day period). The chapters are structured around specific questions like "Did Derek Jeter Deserve the Gold Glove?" that are used to discuss larger issues like evaluating defense, the value of a stolen base or the most effective method of using closers, etc...I found the ch More...
Nov 16, 2008
Leonora
rated it:
Well not everything I knew about baseball was wrong, but that's cheating because I already read Baseball Prospectus/The Hardball Times/etc online.
Baseball Between the Numbers is a statistical look at several baseball issues (Was Alex Rodriguez worth the money Texas paid him? How do managers affect the game? Does clutch exist?) with answers that are meant to be surprising to people who don't already read the writing of Baseball Prospectus and their ilk. I think it comes on a little st More...
Baseball Between the Numbers is a statistical look at several baseball issues (Was Alex Rodriguez worth the money Texas paid him? How do managers affect the game? Does clutch exist?) with answers that are meant to be surprising to people who don't already read the writing of Baseball Prospectus and their ilk. I think it comes on a little st More...
Nov 28, 2010
QVT
rated it:
I found it very interesting even though I hate baseball. I feel like they went easy on Bonds though. But of course, anything short of poisoning him and burying the body in OJ Simpson's old lawn in Brentwood (the one by the guesthouse that Kato Kaelin was staying in) is too easy for Bonds. Really glad he got no rings. No rings! Ramiro Mendoza, with a staggering WAR of 10.3, got 4 rings. Barry Bonds ain't got shit except a huge head. Also CajoleJuice made me read this book.
5 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 28, 2010
C.E.
rated it:
This is a great look at baseball from a purely statistical point of view. Chapters taking a critical look at conventional wisdom on everything from how to make a batting order to the benefits of bunting will challenge the perceptions of many a traditionalist, but will be of interest to any true fan. Although some of the conclusions are more easily digested than others, its hard to argue against the statistical evidence. As always these guys have REALLY done their homework.
All of thi More...
All of thi More...
Jun 10, 2010
Matt
rated it:
I love baseball and I love stats, but this book wore me out. There's no such thing as a clutch hitter? Have any of these guys ever played baseball, stood at the plate with the game on the line? I gave up less than halfway through.
Oct 14, 2010
Outstanding so far! Again, like J.C. Bradbury's book, it peaks interest at looking at baseball stats in a non-traditional way. It's continuing to encourage me to do more statistical research, but not just on traditional stats.
Nov 30, 2011
Richard
rated it:
Lots of formulas and numbers, signifying nothing. A few useful ideas, many areas they simply say no one knows. The formulas are there, and that’s good. There are far more useful books out there, of all typres.
May 31, 2009
Jacob
rated it:
If you liked "Moneyball", and if you are my friend you better have liked "Moneyball", then you should read this book. Strong series of essays using SABER to analyze all kinds of phenomena in baseball. Great book.
Apr 27, 2009
Lin
rated it:
This is a couple years old, but still really relevant and interesting to anyone who's a fan. My favorite chapter offers mathematical proof that publicly-financed stadiums are a bad deal for taxpayers.
Sep 28, 2010
Jeff
rated it:
Incredibly deep book about baseball stats and the like. A little dry at times, and a lot to take in for long periods, but a great little reference material and a worthwhile read if you love the game.
Jul 24, 2010
Cole
rated it:
Best book on baseball I've ever read. It explains all the conclusions of the first wave of sabermetrics but spares all the nerdy graphs and equations and shit.
Sep 28, 2010
Jeremy
rated it:
Good, but not great.
I like the premise behind the book. The way most fans use statistics to evaluate the game is flawed. The book does a good job of pointing out the ridiculousness of statistics like RBI, saves, ERA, and even batting average and OPS. However, because of its publishing date, doesn't include any of the best statistics like WAR, wOBA, tRA, and UZR.
Some of the chapters that have little to do with statistics (like "Is A-Rod overpaid?" or "Is Way More...
I like the premise behind the book. The way most fans use statistics to evaluate the game is flawed. The book does a good job of pointing out the ridiculousness of statistics like RBI, saves, ERA, and even batting average and OPS. However, because of its publishing date, doesn't include any of the best statistics like WAR, wOBA, tRA, and UZR.
Some of the chapters that have little to do with statistics (like "Is A-Rod overpaid?" or "Is Way More...
Feb 22, 2010
Brian
rated it:
Some really interesting stuff in here, but its length isn't warranted. If you're a true fan of statistics, you can totally geek out on this one.
Mar 25, 2011
Larry
rated it:
The book doesn't cover everythin, but it gives a good analytical view of several recurring issues; e.g., what really makes a good pitcher.
Feb 12, 2009
Tyler
rated it:
dumber, wonkier, and more pretentious versions of michael lewis get all wind-baggy on blog-post-sized content.
