Baseball Between the Numbers : Why Everything You Know about the Game Is Wrong

by Keri, Jonah

• ISBN13: 9780465005963
• ISBN10: 0465005969
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-06
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

In the numbers-obsessed sport of baseball, statistics don't merely record what players, managers, and owners have done. Properly understood, they can tell us how the teams we root for could employ better strategies, put more effective players on the field, and win more games. The revolution in baseball statistics that began in the 1970s is a controversial subject that professionals and fans alike argue over without end. Despite this fundamental change in the way we watch and understand the sport, no one has written the book that reveals, across every area of strategy and management, how the best practitioners of statistical analysis in baseball-people like Bill James, Billy Beane, and Theo Epstein-think about numbers and the game.Baseball Between the Numbersis that book. In separate chapters covering every aspect of the game, from hitting, pitching, and fielding to roster construction and the scouting and drafting of players, the experts at Baseball Prospectus examine the subtle, hidden aspects of the game, bring them out into the open, and show us how our favorite teams could win more games. This is a book that every fan, every follower of sports radio, every fantasy player, every coach, and every player, at every level, can learn from and enjoy.

Author Biography

Baseball Prospectus is the top statistical web site in baseball and is extensively used, in print and on air, by a wide range of major broadcasters, magazines, and daily newspapers that cover Major League Baseball.

Table of Contents

Pay no attention to the glowing, orange-eyed Satan-dog behind the closet door
Batting practice : is Barry Bonds better than Babe Ruth?
What's the matter with RBI? ... and other traditional statistics	p. 1
Is David Ortiz a clutch hitter?	p. 14
Was Billy Martin crazy?	p. 35
Why are pitchers so unpredictable?	p. 48
Are teams letting their closers go to waste?	p. 58
Five starters or four? : on pitching and stamina	p. 74
When does a pitcher earn an earned run?	p. 87
Did Derek Jeter deserve the Gold Glove?	p. 95
Is Mike Matheny a catching genius?	p. 104
What if Rickey Henderson had Pete Incaviglia's legs?	p. 112
When is one run worth more than two?	p. 127
Is Joe Torre a Hall of Fame manager?	p. 139
Why is Mario Mendoza so important?	p. 157
Is Alex Rodriguez overpaid?	p. 174
Do players perform better in contract years?	p. 199
Do high salaries lead to high ticket prices?	p. 207
Are new stadiums a good deal?	p. 215
Does baseball need a salary cap?	p. 227
What happened to Todd Van Poppel?	p. 235
Is there such a thing as a quadruple-A player?	p. 242
Why was Kevin Maas a bust?	p. 253
Can a team have too much pitching?	p. 272
How much does Coors Field really matter?	p. 292
Is Wayne Huizenga a genius?	p. 306
What do statistics tell us about steroids?	p. 326
What does Mike Redmond know about Tom Glavine?	p. 343
Why doesn't Billy Beane's shit work in the playoffs?	p. 352
Extra innings : can stats and scouts get along?	p. 369
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.