Customer Reviews

The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you're a serious fan of the game, then you're unlikely to learn much new from this book. Stark does, however, manage to provoke thought, which should really be the point of a book like this.

Most of his lists are pretty predictable - I wasn't at all surprised to see Nolan Ryan as the most overrated righthander and Steve Garvey at first base. I've spent more than enough hours arguing against others putting those guys on pedestals, so it was nice to hear someone agree with me. A few of the choices might shock people - Sandy Koufax as the most overrated lefty is an example - but Stark backs up his choices with stats and clear arguments. In the case of someone like Koufax, Stark isn't trying to discount his greatness, only to show that he had a mediocre start to his career and didn't have sustained greatness like some others.

This is a good, quick read, but nobody should have their hopes high that they're going to be reading a James/Neyer-type analysis of players. The book is a good debate starter, and there's nothing wrong with that.

This is a quick and entertaining read, but be cautioned that you really have to like Jayson Stark's writing. I read his (...) work regularly and I like his mix of oddball facts and humor. But he is a bit easier to take in short pieces than at book length. The book consists of lists of the five most underrated and five most overrated players at each position. In some of the longer entries he spends too much time straining to be funny. We are a couple pages into the entry on Duke Snider as the most underrated center fielder before we get to the first substantive comment. He's also a bit inclined to stack the deck. For instance, he exaggerates how poorly Sandy Koufax pitched early in his career. In short, this is not the book that Bill James or Rob Neyer would have written, but most baseball fans should enjoy it.

The book is part of an ongoing series from ESPN personalities which seemingly has a purpose of further solidifying their on-air characters with sports fans.

Jayson Stark is the no nonsense baseball commentator who comes armed with a fast ball of facts to dazzle viewers in a bevy of segments on TV and radio. His lists of overrated and underrated players simply finds him playing that role.

Basically a means to drum up chat amongst those who have a historical interest in the game - the pre-publication publicity masterfully swirled and twirled a number of Stark's more controversial opinions - it is nothing more than water-cooler fodder on a slow summertime day in the office.

I think any serious baseball fan would find Jayson Stark's book interesting and thought-provoking. The most overrated and underrated players is a great topic that can be endlessly debated. Stark tries to separate the myth from reality. And, there are no sacred cows--witness his selection of Nolan Ryan as the most overrated right-handed pitcher and Sandy Koufax as the most overrated left-handed pitcher.

Stark makes interesting and solid arguments for his No. 1 most overrated and underrated players at each position. He presents a thumbnail argument for Nos. 2 through 5. I would have liked a little more depth for these players.

When selecting underrated players, Stark relies too much on the voting for the 1999 All-Century team. Face it, you didn't have to know anything about baseball history to vote for that team. And, the results prove it. Being underrated by a bunch of baseball know-nothings isn't the same as being underrated by members of the Society for American Baseball Research.

It's easy to argue with some of Stark's selections (that's the point of the book). Stark must have had been suffering from a beaning, however, when he selected Don Zimmer as overrated. Overrated by whom? I've never met a baseball fan who praised Zimmer (a .235 lifetime hitter) as a player. If you think a player is overrated if a fan knows that he was a utility infielder 40 years after he retired, then Zimmer would be overrated. Otherwise, I can't see it.

While Stark can be interesting and enlightening, his style also can be irritating. His sophomoric shtick of flippantly addressing the reader and his numerous quips detract from the book. He also belabors the point of what he means by being overrated and underrated to the point of nausea.

Stark's book, however, is worth reading for the statistical nuggets alone. Here are some examples:
· Richie Ashburn's four 500-putout seasons is as many as all other Hall of Famers combined.
· Jim Wynn never received a Hall of Fame vote.
· Steve Garvey had six 200-hit seasons, but never scored 100 runs in a season.
· Frank Robinson is the only player to win the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, World Series MVP, and All-Star MVP awards.
· Ashburn and Rogers Hornsby are the only players to lead the league in average, walks and hits.

I very much enjoyed Stark's book. I really did. It made me think more about some of the players whom most people make assumptions about, and it confirmed some of my thoughts about other players who were under- or over-rated in my opinion as well. It also introduced me to some statistics, especially relative stats (in other words, comparisons with other players) I'd never even thought about. If I disagreed with him, I didn't take it personally (who would? It's just a book). Dave Winfield overrated? OK, I can see where you're coming from. Was Andy Van Slyke the 5th-most underrated at his position? Probably true--I'd agree more easily if you didn't introduce him as your friend Andy though. Phil Rizzuto overrated? Sure, you make some good points. Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax overrated? You're getting controversial, but I can see your points there too. The important thing is to read what Stark says, not just look at the player names in big bold text at the beginning of the section. It's called a book. It is intended for reading. So those are some positive points to the book, and the reason I give it as many stars as I do.

The one thing keeping it from getting 5 stars from me (I'm about to overreact a bit, so I apologize in advance) is his incessant chattering about what overratedness means and does not mean. In every single chapter, Stark has the urge to re-explain that just because a player is overrated does not mean that he should have taken up ballroom dancing (or some other activity unrelated to baseball) instead, but only that the average fan's perception of the player is greater than the player's actual performance. OK, I understood that point in chapter 1. Maybe a person who is a little less swift would have needed to review the concept in the second chapter. But in every single section of the book (sometimes for multiple players within a section), the point is driven home again. And again. And it drove me mad. Even at the end of the book--page 183 out of 194--he indicates that this is the point he is "getting at." Buddy, you got there before page 5. Could have saved me a solid 10 minutes of reading time if I didn't have to re-read the meaning of overratedness again and again and again.

So, it was a great book, and also a very fun and easy read. Only would have been improved if it weren't so maddeningly repetitive.

A 2007 summer reading list mini review.

When I heard Jayson Stark promoting this book on the radio, I knew I had to read it. I read it all cover to cover in 3 days and am very glad to have done so. Stark researched this book thoroughly, but the success of the book comes down to opinions and their presentation. Stark educates the reader on these opinions and entertains them with his presentation.

Stark's opinions are backed up statistically, although, he is the first to admit that you can back up whatever you want with statistics. This is what I most like about the book: Stark knows when not to take himself or the subject too seriously. He has an unusual ability, a gift really, to sound authoritative and self effacing at the exact same moment. Presenting your opinions passionately, persuasively and personably can never be overrated.

Jayson Stark's book is an entertaining read. It is not however the tome of our time.

His lighthearted debate on overrated vs underrated throws a few curves. His naming of Nolan Ryan as the most overrated right handed pitcher required some explanation. His ranking of Ernie Banks as both overrated (1b) and Underrated (SS) is interesting. His statement that Ron Santo was the best all around third baseman of the 60's is just nonsense. If Robinson plays 81 games in Wrigley then watch his offensive numbers soar even higher. His reminder of the Koufax of the 50's is valuable, sort of like all the B westerns that John Wayne was in before Stagecoach

This is a bar book, to use for arguments for the fun of it and it should be taken as such. Taken that way its a good time.

The subtitle of this book is "The Most Overrated & Underrated Players in Baseball History". Stark lists the 5 most overrated and underrated players at each position, splitting pitchers into right-handed starters, left-handed starters and relief pitchers, and splitting the outfield into their three different positions. As always, Stark's baseball writing is both entertaining and informative. He makes sound arguments on the players he put on each list and it is a breeze to read. The one player on his list that surprised me most was Dizzy Dean, who was fourth on his list for the most overrated right-handed pitchers. I looked up Dean's career statistics, and it turns out Stark was right on. I never realized that Dean had such a short career. His career may have been cut short due to injury, but even so, it certainly does not look like a Hall-of-Famer's career.

I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to baseball fans interested in light reading.

So the reviewer MR Kay from Georgia says this book isn't worth the paper it's written on. Gee, I wonder if that's because he's an Atlanta Braves fan and loves Andruw Jones? Come on. You can't separate your fandom from your evaluation of a book? Put your bias aside and read the book. It does exactly what it should do--spark debate among people. He's not saying overderrated players are bad players. He continually says the overrated players are excellent players. His question is, does their reality as a baseball player (Stark's take on their reality, of course) match what he perceives to be the public assessment of them? Who cares if someone writes a book noone cares to respond to? How boring. Books that do not provoke strong, negative reactions don't produce strong POSITIVE reactions either. Anyway, this is just a great book about baseball. His arguments--whether you disagree with them or not--are well put-together. He makes his case for each argument, and he's so good at it that you find yourself engaging with the book. I can't tell you how many times I actually said aloud, "Is that really true?" and found myself really excited to get to the part where he tries to convince me he's right. It's a cliche but it's true: if you like baseball you will love this book--even if one of your favorite players is considered "underrated" by Stark. Then you can come on here and argue with him--but still see why it's a good book.

This book is great fun to read and is a quick read as well. Stark's informal, breezy style can lend itself to skimming. But he makes his points and makes them well. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's a good thing. A fun, well-written book that can start a lot of arguments.