Baseball Best-Sellers, February 3, 2017

February 3, 2017

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.

  1. https://i1.wp.com/i.harperapps.com/covers/9780062490223/y450-293.png?resize=165%2C248&ssl=1Baseball Prospectus 2017
  2. Baseball America 2017 Prospect Handbook: Rankings and Reports of the Best Young Talent in Baseball (February 28)
  3. 2017 Baseball Forecaster: & Encyclopedia of Fanalytics by Ron Shandler
  4. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
  5. The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, by Tom Verducci  (March 28)
  6. Smart Baseball: The Story Behind the Old Stats That Are Ruining the Game, the New Ones That Are Running It, and the Right Way to Think About Baseball, by Keith Law (April 25) *
  7. Sports Illustrated Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series Champions Commemorative Issue
  8. Catapult Loading System: How To Teach 100-Pound Hitters To Consistently Drive The Ball 300-Feet, by Joey Myers
  9. The Science of Hitting, by Ted Williams and John Underwood
  10. Baseball America 2017 Almanac: Comprehensive Review of the 2016 Season

* Making its debut on the Bookshelf Best-Seller List

Keith Law, a baseball analyst for ESPN, offers another…well, analysis on the state of the game, particularly as it relates to how statistics are used. All due respect, but how is this the #1 best-seller in the category “Business Facility Management?”

MORE lists: Amazon has started a couple of new ones, including “Hot New Releases” and “Most Wished For.” A look at the top three in each, which have remained the same since last week:

Hot New Releases

  1. Baseball Prospectus 2017
  2. Baseball America Prospect Guide
  3. 2017 Baseball Forecaster

Most Wished For

  1. Moneyball
  2. Baseball Prospectus
  3. The Cubs Way

NY Times monthly sports best-seller list:No baseball books listed in the February rolls.

Not on either the Amazon or Times‘ lists? 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. Today: 1,124,517; last week: 834,724. Ugh. I will be appearing on a couple of podcasts in the not-too-distant future, so that might bump up sales a tad. My forthcoming Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War currently ranks 624,376, greatly improved from last week’s 1,403,892.

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.

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