NOTE: I have been posting these things long enough now that a few have commented that the introductory section isn’t necessary anymore. But I’m leaving it in because, to paraphrase Joe DiMaggio when asked why he played so hard all the time, there may be people who’ve never read the best-seller entries before. So on with the show…
Caveat 1: Print editions only (at least for now); because I’m old school.
Caveat 2: Since the rankings are updated every hour, these lists might not longer be 100 percent accurate by the time you read them. But it’ll be close enough for government work.
Caveat 3: Sometimes they’ll try to pull one over on you and include a book within a category that doesn’t belong. I’m using my discretion to eliminate such titles from my list. For example, for some reason a recent listing included Tarnished Heels: How Unethical Actions and Deliberate Deceit at the University of North Carolina Ended the “The Carolina Way,” which, far as I can tell, is not at all about baseball, at least not in the main.
Baseball Prospectus 2016- 2016 Baseball Forecaster, by Ron Shandler
- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
- Baseball America 2016 Prospect Handbook: Scouting Reports and Rankings of the Best Young Talent in Baseball
- This Old Man: All in Pieces, by Roger Angell
- Baseball America 2016 Almanac: Comprehensive Review of the 2015 Season, by Josh Leventhal
- The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance, by H.A. Dorfman
- The Bill James Handbook 2016
- The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It, by Lawrence Ritter
- The Natural, by Bernard Malamud
Several of the titles seem to be gearing up for the new season but a couple of old favorites return, including Malamud’s classic fiction and Dorfman’s Mental Game. I was also wondering if Moneyball was getting a little extra bump as people turn to Lewis’ financial book, The Big Short, now that it’s a major motion picture,
New York Times: As we get closer to Super Bowl 50 — and with the release of the film Concussion — football dominates the monthly sports list which is without a single baseball title.
Not on either the Amazon or Times’ monthly list? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Grateful for the bump to the 42,000-range following the Dec. 28 appearance on the MLB Network’s Hot Stove program, but it’s sinking again, down to 717,803. Help keep the dream alive!
If you have read 501, thanks, hope you enjoyed it, and please consider writing a review for the Amazon page; it’s never too late. There haven’t been any in awhile. Doesn’t have to be long (or even complimentary, if you didn’t like it), but anything would be appreciated. And thanks to those who have.
is available on Amazon.com,
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