Review
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“Mr. Law’s book will increase any fan’s enjoyment of
the sport.” (Wall Street Journal)
“Smart Baseball is an engaging account of the evolution of
baseball metrics...His experience and in make him uniquely
qualified to answer the driving question in MLB today: how best
to account for everything that happens on the field. This look is
a must-read for the serious fan.” (--Billy Beane, Executive Vice
President of Baseball Operations, Oakland A's)
“Law provides necessary in into how front offices have come
to evaluate talent...Smart Baseball is an essential and
accessible primer on how data and analytics shape America’s
Pastime, and where it’s headed. ” (--Sean Doolittle, pitcher,
Oakland A's)
“No flawed statistic is safe from Keith’s ins in this
clear-eyed, data driven tour of the bases. Smart Baseball gives
us a preview of the future as Keith introduces the stats that
really matter in a way that all fans will enjoy.” (--Molly
Knight, author of New York Times Bestseller The Best Team Money
Can Buy)
“There is still, probably, someone in your life who thinks that
“grit,” “intensity,” and “hustle” are more important than
“on-base percentage” and “WHIP.” Give that person this book, and
end the argument forever.” (--Mike Schur, co-creator of Parks &
Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place)
“Smart Baseball can help any baseball follower evolve along with
the game. It provides an inful and thorough look at how this
great game is being viewed now and into the future. Definitely a
great read for anyone who loves baseball.” (--A.J. Hinch,
manager, Houston Astros)
“In Smart Baseball, Keith Law deftly answers everything you
always wanted to know about sabermetrics but were too afraid to
ask. Its final three chapters probably each deserve their own
books, and hopefully Law will oblige. I will think of Joey
Bagodonuts often.” (-- Molly Knight, author of New York Times
Bestseller The Best Team Money Can Buy)
“Law brilliantly dismantles some of the game’s most sacred and
most misleading statistics...with a style in which smart trumps
snarky…Law challenges longtime fans to think differently about a
game that he says has been hindered by inefficient traditions for
far too long.’ (Publishers Weekly)
“[Law] shatters myths about how to accurately measure a baseball
player’s ability and then explains modern criteria that offer
better results…provides a spirited exploration of statistics sure
to start arguments among devoted baseball fans… a smooth
combination of erudition and his obvious love of the sport.”
(Kirkus Reviews)
“In mercifully plain English, Law explains how the new
statistical tools can answer questions that previously baffled
baseball experts. A must-read for everyone who brings a curious
head as well as an impassioned heart to the ballpark.” (Booklist)
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From the Back Cover
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For the past fifteen years, many baseball fans, writers, and
commentators have remained mired in the muck of old
statistics—baseball card numbers such as batting average, saves
recorded, and a pitcher’s won-lost record—while newer, smarter,
and at times counterintuitive baseball stats known as
sabermetrics have become commonplace throughout Major League
Baseball. Yet, despite their popularity, confusion persists about
these new stats, with much of the baseball world still following
the “old” way—a combination of those outdated numbers and gut
instinct—to evaluate players’ contributions and careers.
Baseball, they argue, should be run by people, not by numbers.
ESPN senior baseball writer Keith Law, respectfully, or perhaps
not so respectfully, disagrees. In this provocative book, the
outspoken Law takes on the established view of baseball stats,
undermining over a century’s worth of baseball dogma. With many
of these numbers dating back to the beginning of the game, he
examines how allegiance to these old stats is firmly rooted, not
in the modern game as it’s played, but in baseball’s irrational
adherence to tradition. Using entertaining anecdotes, logic, and
occasionally just a little math, he exposes the flaws in much of
the game’s orthodoxy, from the illusion of clutch performers, to
the dishonesty of RBIs, to how the save rule—invented by a
journalist—has ruined bullpens for decades.
But Smart Baseball is not just about tearing down tradition. Law
also offers a clear-eyed discussion of the new stats that are
helping teams win, changing how players are valued, and altering
how we talk about the game. Exploring long-underappreciated
numbers like On-Base Percentage, as well as newer stats like Win
Probability Added and Wins Above Replacement, he simplifies the
math that has gotten in the way for many curious fans, providing
understandable explanations of what these numbers measure and why
they work better. In addition he delves into the future of
baseball stats, uncovering the escalating arms race for
statistical talent being waged by almost every MLB front office,
as the teams search for innovative ways to find the statistical
edge on and off the field.
What emerges is an intelligent, informative, and engaging assault
on the baseball establishment. Brought to life by Law’s
unapologetic style, Smart Baseball is an iconoclastic look at the
numbers game of baseball, proving why some of the most trusted
stats are surprisingly wrong, detailing the numbers that actually
work, and revealing what the rise of Big Data means for the
future of the sport.
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