Baseball Prospectus 2004: Statistics, Analysis and Insight for the Information Age (Paperback)

by The Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The best! The Oakland As' heralded General Manager, Billy Beane, calls Baseball Prospectus the standard by which all scouting guides should be measured. Jayson Stark at ESPN says, "I never cease to be blown away by the geniuses at Baseball Prospectus." "When I have a question about a player, no matter how obscure, I pull out Baseball Prospectus," writes Rob Neyer at ESPN.com. And John Hunt, who covers fantasy baseball for USA Today, calls it "the best book for preparing for a rotisserie draft."

Packed with statistics, analysis, and attitude for the information age, Baseball Prospectus is the essential guide for the 3.4 million serious fantasy baseball players, and the perfect game-side companion for millions more seamheads who want to understand the inside game--why, for example, Derek Jeter's recent contract makes A-Rod's look like a bargain, why the hiring of Dusty Baker should end the Cubs' long nightmare, and why, if he remains healthy, Pedro Martinez has a legitimate shot at being remembered as the best pitcher ever. Baseball Prospectus gives in-depth actual data and performance analysis of 1600 players, more than any other guide, covering the majors and minors, the top 40 prospects, draft choices, and rookie ball. It features essays on every team and gimlet-eyed evaluations of at least 50 players per organization. It's the final word--delivered in a wry and witty style--on what pitchers and hitters really did in 2003, and how they'll do in 2004 and beyond.

About the Author
Baseball Prospectus Team of Experts on Baseball Talent includes, among others, Gary Huckabay, the founder of Baseball Prospectus; Chris Kahrl, a sports editor who lives in Washington, D.C.; and Dave Pease, who roots for Ryan Klesko in San Diego. Together, the roster of Baseball Prospectus writers consult to 26 of the 30 major league baseball teams.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761134026
• ISBN-13: 978-0761134022
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #697,463 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING book for any baseball fan!, February 26, 2004

By A Customer

Since 1997, the Baseball Prospectus team of analysts have come together to produce the best baseball annual on the market. And while the quality of their writing might have slipped a tad in 2003, they've come back with a vengeance in 2004 with their best book yet. It's simply outstanding.

This book has everything: thought-provoking essays on each of the 30 MLB teams, sharp-witted, irreverent humor, original back-of-the-book articles on (among other things) the influence of catchers on stopping the running game, and stats. And stats. And stats. And did I mention stats?

But these aren't your father's baseball statistics. As anyone who read Michael Lewis's "Moneyball" or visits www.baseballprospectus.com on a regular basis knows, the BP team is responsible for the most advanced baseball analysis going on today. Luckily, there are some well-reasoned explanations of these stats at the front of the book, which proves that the authors are more than your average number-crunchers, and actually have a feel for game that most people who deal with stats do not. I could hardly do justice to their explanations in this space, so I'll just say "see for yourself."

And yet, while stats are abundant throughout "Baseball Prospectus 2004," what really *makes* the book is the writing. Each team gets the full treatment of a ~2000 word essay, along with detailed player comments on at least 50 individuals throughout the organization. Player comments run from the fascinating and informative to the downright hilarious. The BP writers don't pull any punches in their analysis, and it makes for fantastic reading, whether you agree with their opinions or not.

I could go on about "Baseball Prospectus 2004," but I hardly feel like I'd be doing it justice. I wait eagerly for my copy of BP every year, and rarely have I been disappointed. "BP 2004" is the best sports book I've read this year, and I thoroughly expect to be able to make that same claim 9 months from now.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Statistical Guide, March 5, 2004

By	Milo Takanabi "milotak" - See all my reviews

I bought the Baseball Prospectus 2004 thinking that it would be a beefed up version of a fantasy magazine. I was pleasantly surprised that it was much more. I can see why baseball GMs read it. It offers excellent statistical analysis of the past performances of players and gives educated PECOTA projections for the future. I would bet the first thought of first-time readers when they open this book is "Wow, this is cool. I can't believe they did all this." That was my impression.

I must admit that I bought this book to help me in my fantasy league. I am not a baseball statistics purist or registered sabremetrician. I know many readers are though. For people like me, the Prospectus does not give projections for the standard 5x5 or roto categories, but gives OBP and OPS type stats. I understand that these have greater predictive value, but I would still like to know how many RBI the writers think Sammy Sosa is going to get. So I was wondering how to translate the insights from the Baseball Prospectus for my league.

I also bought the Fantasy Baseball Strategy book which I see Amazon is offering with the Prospectus. This is a very good pairing. That book's valuation approach also uses iteration to compare players to replacement players, or the ones not expected to be drafted, in each scoring category. So the statistical approach is very much inline with the Prospectus'. What I think is interesting is that the author really emphasizes the strategic and competitive aspects of fantasy baseball over the valuation process (which is only one of 11 chapters), mainly because most people focus on that. There is a really good section using Michael Porter's Competitive Advantage (Cost Leadership vs. Differentiation) principles that illustrates why. The two books compliment each other well. The point is, if you buy these books to help you in your league, use the Prospectus to gain statistical insights (Cost Leadership) and use the other book to form a strategy (Differentiation) based on those insights so they give you a practical advantage.

Whether you buy the Prospectus for fantasy or not, if you are a baseball fan, you really should get it. You will view baseball from a more objective perspective.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a winner, March 17, 2004

By	CGC (Marina del Rey, CA USA) - See all my reviews

The 2004 edition of BASEBALL PROSPECTUS is still a winner, with more detailed analysis and perceptive player commentary than ever before--a resource for anyone who wants to go beyond the superficial and not very informed player analyses that get written in mainstream media. With all the numbers available, these guys understand which numbers are meaningful, and what they portend for future performance. Though not designed for fantasy baseball, it can be used in that context as well.

As in 2003, PROSPECTUS carries both actual and translated player statistics, making it an incredibly useful all-in-one resource. For the unitiated, "translated" player statists are the actual numbers adjusted for park and league effects. Some parks are friendly to hitters, while others are friendly to pitchers, for example. The theory is that without taking context into account, it is impossible to measure the value of players relative to one another. This book solves that problem, and has figured out ways of translating numbers from the minor leagues, as well as the Japanese league and the Mexican league. Invaluable.