Most of the annual previews are available as of this writing. I previously analyzed Beckett’s; here a more comprehensive look at the four I’ve purchased to date.
Back in the day, the publisher printed only one cover. Now it’s easy to make one for every team or region. The examples here are for the New York area. They also cost about the same, so how do you pick? Depends on the kind of information your looking for. I’ve compared them on this Excel sheet, with a more narrative description below.
Athlon
208 pages/$7.99
Nice feature articles on catchers, a look ahead to the new season, a collection of anecdotes on 2008, and the publication that addresses the steroid issue.
Team profiles include a roster, schedule, minor league report. Interesting little factoids.
Overall grade: B
To order, look here.
Beckett
144 pages/$6.99
No real features to speak of. The only thing going for this one is the baseball card report (see previous entry on Beckett). Newsprint paper gives it a pulp feel.
To order, look here.
Lindy’s
192 pages/$7.99
Very well done, but light on features (Josh Hamilton profile, free agency, and 2008 anecdotes). Best of the magazine’s in individual player profiles, with grades and three years of stats.
To order, look here.
The Sporting News
200 pages/$7.99
Disappointing when you consider how long TSN has been doing this. Good features, including articles on maple bats, the mania over pitch counts, the new MLB network, a profile of White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, and — my favorite — player targets and milestones (which used to be in Street and Smith).
To order, look here.
is available on Amazon.com,
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