Need a place to start? Looking to introduce someone new to the game? Here are my top 9 recommendations into the world of baseball books. I tried to create a blend of books that pulls from all eras, and tells different types of stories. Baseball is such a rich game with so many interesting characters, and stories that there is bound to be something that will appeal to anyone.
The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told By The Men Who Played It by Lawrence S. Ritter
The Glory of Their Times is a definitive look into the game from the point of view of pre-World War II players. Their personal anecdotes read like a barroom conversation, (Ritter intended to only record their conversations, and never publish it) and bring a flavor to the book that puts you right back into the deadball era. While the stories can be a bit “back in my day, we walked uphill to school both ways,” the stories are vivid, entertaining, and essential to commemorating the early days of baseball.
The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
One of baseball’s most recognizable authors comes his chef d’ouevre. A back and forth between Kahn’s early days growing up in Brooklyn, and the team that called Flatbush home until the ’50s. The Brooklyn Dodgers are still synonomous with the famous borough, and carry a mythical aura much more than many teams that were moved due to owners looking for a larger payday. Kahn brilliantly captures the Dodger’s, the borough of Brooklyn, and the players who personified the team. While Ebbets Field may be gone, The Boys of Summer helps to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn.
Highly controversial at the time of its release, converted knuckleballer Jim Bouton gives Americans a definitive look into the minds and lives of America’s sports heroes. While it is PG-13 to a modern audience, it was borderline blasphemy to some in the 70’s who were introduced to world of greenies and skirt chasing. Nearly ostracized for his efforts, Bouton was viewed as a social pariah by many in the baseball world. However, time is a great healer, and many have grown to appreciate his brutal and honest look into the lives of players who at the end of the day are humans like you and me.
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye
A top 9 of baseball books would be incomplete without mentioning the early days of the Negro Leagues. And who could encapsulate early black baseball better than its biggest star? Satchel Paige embodies the spirit of the Negro Leagues. Hardcore barnstorming? check. Playing in the Caribbean for huge pay days? check. On-the-field antics simultaneously pissing off his opponents and entertaining his guests? check. Satchel did it all, and Larry Tye’s biography, depicts his life best of all the choices one has to read about Satch.
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by Bill James
Who would have thought that one of the most important baseball minds of the past 30 years would be a security guard at a pork and beans cannery. Baseball used to be a world terrified of change. Challenging that status quo was a no-no (look at Jim Bouton). However, that did not stop Bill James who understood their was something inherently wrong with how baseball evaluated players and success. Bill James Historical Abstract is a must have for the statistaclly oriented fan. A behemoth of a book, it is not intended to be read in a few sittings. Ever wonder who the best double play combos in baseball were? Its there. Curious about the 47th greatest shortstop of all time, and the 87th best pitcher of all time? Its there. Pretty much anything you can think of about baseball, James already beat you to it.
Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion by Roger Angell
Perhaps America’s best baseball writer (most definitely mine), Angell brings a unique prose to baseball writing, usually saved for the stuffy columns of the New Yorker and Harper’s. And perhaps that’s why it works so well. Baseball is poetry in action, and deserves writers who can convey what we all feel in an elegant non-pretentious manner. Angell’s Five Seasons covers the 1972-1976 seasons that saw the A’s dominate and the Big Red Machine come to life. The pages filled with stories from his unique perspective of how baseball changed in this era, through the rise of the DH, lockouts, and bombastic owners. While Angell’s other 5 season companions are must reads, this one is the definitive.
Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series by Eliot Asinof
The most infamous team in the history of American sport, is without a doubt (in my mind) the 1919 White Sox. Eight Men Out is a thorough analysis of how the perfect storm of determined high rollers and disgruntled players came together to throw the 1919 World Series. The book is painstakingly researched and an important case study into human psyche and greed. Who truly was to blame for this black hole from which the game was extremely fortunate to survive: the players, the gamblers, or the owners? I’ll let you decide.
Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero by David Maraniss
Nearly 30% of Major League Baseball players are from Latin America. Latin influence is so entrenched in the modern game that it is difficult to think how the game would be without the likes of Albert Pujols, Pedro Martinez, and Mariano Rivera. All modern players have Clemente to thank, known for his right field cannon, World Series heroics, and tragic death providing essential aid relief, Clemente remains an idol for young Americans and Latinos all dreaming of Hall of Fame glory.
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Stockbroker turned author Michael Lewis brings his lessons from the financial world into the archaic world of baseball. Two words: market inefficiency. Lewis tells the story of how GM Billy Beane and the early 2000s Oakland Athletics fought smarter rather than harder to field a winning ball club. Moneyball offers excellent insight into how math and data began to factor into the game. It lays the foundation for how baseball operates today, and the increasing reliance on data that is synonymous with player analysis and team performance. I do have criticisms on how it completely pans old-school scouts and their impact in the game (Moneyball 2.0 IMO successfully combines scouting, player development, and data analysis). However, Lewis’s Moneyball is the perfect introduction for those new to Sabermetrics and want to increase their understanding of how numbers have shaped the game.
THE BASEBALL READER 