* The Annual annual

February 22, 2010

In spring a (nerdy) young man’s heart turns to thoughts of the new batch of baseball annuals.

As I’ve written in the past, these publications no longer carry the weight they did when I was a kid, growing up in the pre-Internet days. Street & Smith was basically the only game in town, and I anxiously awaited its arrival as much as I did the new edition of Topps cards. Again, they were the only ones available at the time and they sorely tested the instant-gratification impulse since they were released one series of about 100 or so cards at a time, several weeks apart. (By the way, there’s a chance to relive some of those thrills of finding your favorite player in a pack.)

As with any print media, these publications magazines are practically outdated by the time they get to the newsstand or book store; the majority of them seem to deal specifically with fantasy baseball, and are therefore out of the purview of this assessment.

To this point, I’ve purchased four “annuals.” Let’s look at them in alphabetical order:

Athlon ($7.99)

Athlon breaks down the team information in cogent fashion, dealing with the club in four pages, evaluating each by starting rotation, bullpen, middle infield, corners, outfield, catching, DH/Bench, and management. The team profiles also include full rosters, schedule, proposed starting lineups, bench, rotation, and bullpen depth; five-year trends; “fantasy ticket”; a look at the farm system and top prospects; an eclectic collections of stats, and a “beyond the box score” section.

Other features include the obligatory predictions; fantasy nod; 2009 stats; college and high school stars on the rise, an extensive collection of anecdotal nuggets; 15 things to watch for in 2010; and the tough choice between going right into the pros from high school or opting for the college route.

If you’re looking for a good general prview, this is the one for you.

Beckett’s ($6.99)

Brought to you by the famous “collectors” company, this one is short on narrative, but long on interesting factoids about all the cards pertaining to each team. For example, did you know that the Yankees lead all of MLB with 127,110 cards, with a total value of almost $2.8 million? There’s an interesting comparison piece between the Yankees and theMarlins (42,085 cards/$215,844 value).

As for the team profiles: Meh. Four pages (two if you subtract the roster/schedule and large player photo/more card info) with little in the way of analysis.

One editorial decision I definitely don’t like/understand is the method of organization. Where most publications list teams alpha by location within the league or within each division, or by predicted finish within their division, Beckett’s lists them alpha by league by nickname (Angels, As, Blue Jays, etc.). Seems quite silly.

Very skimpy on the extras: minimal stats section, no fantasy, or 2009 review.

If you’re an avid collector, and not too interested in the latest dope, this is the one you want. Otherwise, skip it.

Lindy’s Sports Baseball 2010 Preview ($6.99)

The only thing that holds this back is the lack of a good roster presentation (just a 40-man list with handedness, height/weight, and DOB. But the individual player profiles/scouting reports still make Lindy’s the best of the bunch. Players are grouped by position and graded with up-or-down projections for the coming season. There are also projected depth charts for starting pitchers, releivers and starting lineups. Of course, all this information could be rendered moot with a spring training acquisition or injury. Team info also includes a look at the management and front office, as well as key arrivals and departures.

There isn’t much in the way of feature material, although there is a good peice on the impact Bill James has had on how teams use statistics.

(Note: Some of the magazines mentioned herein are “regionalized”; this one has a profile of Chase Utley, but I’m not sure if other issues feature local players.)

The Sporting News: Baseball 2010 ($7.99)

TSN took over the Street and Smith franchise, with, IMHO, disappoiting results. This should be the one against which other magazines should be compared but it is lacking in several categories.

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