I scheduled having a wisdom tooth removed around this book's delivery date. I had intended to parse it out over the long weekend. I finished it in a day.
Ben and Travis connect interest points in baseball analytics like an Indian Jones movie connects the cities he disrupts with a sweet graphic.
The material can get dense, but there is a backbone of a storyline and great descriptive writing that make it feel far less than arduous.
From curious baseball fans to the esoteric freaks who spend more time on baseball-reference than talking to your family when you're having Thanksgiving dinner at Golden Corral despite your father's headshaking and your mother's tears, it's a necessary read to have a hold on the current state of the game.
Other Sellers on Amazon
Sold by:
Probetis Books
(52 ratings)
100% positive over last 12 months
100% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Shipping rates
and
Return policy
Add to book club
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club?
Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Flip to back
Flip to front
Follow the Authors
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
OK
The MVP Machine: How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players Hardcover – June 4, 2019
by
Ben Lindbergh
(Author),
Travis Sawchik
(Author)
|
Ben Lindbergh
(Author)
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
|
|
Travis Sawchik
(Author)
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
|
|
Price
|
New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry"
|
$0.00
|
Free with your Audible trial | |
|
Paperback, Illustrated
"Please retry"
|
$13.07 | $9.67 |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry"
|
$10.50 | $11.99 |
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book.
Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
-
Print length384 pages
-
LanguageEnglish
-
PublisherBasic Books
-
Publication dateJune 4, 2019
-
Dimensions6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
-
ISBN-101541698940
-
ISBN-13978-1541698949
Inspire a love of reading with Amazon Book Box for Kids
Discover delightful children's books with Amazon Book Box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months — new Amazon Book Box Prime customers receive 15% off your first box. Learn more.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
|
Download to your computer
|
Kindle Cloud Reader
|
Frequently bought together
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Get everything you need
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Editorial Reviews
Review
"In The MVP Machine, Lindbergh and Sawchik make a convincing, and faith-restoring, case that genuine, unadulterated miracles can happen in baseball."―WashingtonPost
"Even MBAs who don't know what an ERA ... will grasp the book's essential message: next-generation technologies and analytics radically transform top-tier talent development and technique."―HarvardBusiness Review
"The MVP Machine is an eye-opening dispatch from the leading edge of the sport."―TheAtlantic
"The MVP Machine (Basic Books), out now, tells how a series of new tools, advanced statistics and technology are changing the game of baseball, led by innovators"―NewYork Post
"For too long, stat geeks like me ignored the 'development' side of 'scouting and development.' The MVP Machine is the book that's going to change that. Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh persuasively and entertainingly demonstrate that a baseball player's success is less about God-given talent and more about innovation, hard work, and the willingness to take a more scientific approach to the game. Read it, and you won't think about baseball in quite the same way again."―Nate Silver, founder and editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight
"I wish this book spent more time on the Red Sox winning four times as many titles as the Yankees this century, but The MVP Machine is a great and informative deep dive on the challenges of unlocking talent and building winning teams in the age of analytics."―Bill Simmons, founder and CEO, The Ringer
"High-speed cameras and radar-tracking devices have revolutionized training and are now giving baseball pitchers accurate, detailed and actionable feedback during practice. This captivating book details step-by-step how merely good major league pitchers have recently been able to transform themselves into great ones and reach previously unattainable levels of mastery by purposeful and deliberate practice."―K. Anders Ericsson, Conradi Eminent Scholar of Psychology, Florida State University, and author of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
"In today's game, players and teams are doing more than ever behind the scenes to change and improve. The work they do is absolutely critical to success but nearly invisible to the public -- until now. Any fan seeking a fresh look at how teams win in modern baseball should read this book."―Chaim Bloom, Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations, Tampa Bay Rays
"The MVP Machine isn't just the purest distillation yet of baseball's information era and how it came to be. It's a seminal road map for the game today and treasure map to find -- and understand -- the gems baseball soon will offer."―Jeff Passan, MLB insider, ESPN
"This is the book baseball needed, the definitive document on how the best players in the world are using new ideas to become even better. Until now, no one had delivered an authoritative, comprehensive look at the revolution that is transforming the sport and offering lessons that extend even beyond the field. If you want to understand the inner workings of the modern game, you must read The MVP Machine."―Ken Rosenthal, baseball reporter for The Athletic, Fox Sports, and MLB Network
"Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh brilliantly capture the next frontier of major-league teams' 'evolve or die' mindset: the league-wide movement of using data, technology, and science to revolutionize the way players are developed. Baseball has seen a rapid influx of high-curiosity, growth-mindset players and coaches, creating the perfect environment for innovation and rethinking convention. The MVP Machine provides tremendous insight into baseball's latest transformation."―Billy Eppler, General Manager, Los Angeles Angels
"As the game of baseball, and more specifically the teaching methods within, continue to evolve, The MVP Machine paints a real-time portrait of player development. Players and coaches are in a constant search for advantages that will push their personal limits on the field in order to maximize their abilities. Ben and Travis provide fascinating details of how individual players pushed the boundaries of innovative coaching, self-reflection, and a willingness to make even the smallest of adjustments in order to reach new heights as players. This book is a very accurate portrayal of modern-day player development and the ongoing pursuit of individual greatness."―Mike Hazen, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
"A lot of books have claimed to be Moneyball 2.0, but this book actually delivers. It chronicles the changes that are transforming the game of baseball at a fundamental level and shifting power back into the hands of players and coaches."―Mike Fast, Special Assistant to the General Manager, Atlanta Braves and former Director of Research and Development, Houston Astros
"Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh are always at the forefront of the analytics revolution. The MVP Machine brings us the newly emerging competitive advantage whereby players are joining the intellectual advancement of the game and utilizing the new tools available to build a better Major League Player. Make no mistake, this is how games, divisions, and World Series titles are now being won."―Brian Kenny, MLB Network
"Even MBAs who don't know what an ERA ... will grasp the book's essential message: next-generation technologies and analytics radically transform top-tier talent development and technique."―HarvardBusiness Review
"The MVP Machine is an eye-opening dispatch from the leading edge of the sport."―TheAtlantic
"The MVP Machine (Basic Books), out now, tells how a series of new tools, advanced statistics and technology are changing the game of baseball, led by innovators"―NewYork Post
"For too long, stat geeks like me ignored the 'development' side of 'scouting and development.' The MVP Machine is the book that's going to change that. Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh persuasively and entertainingly demonstrate that a baseball player's success is less about God-given talent and more about innovation, hard work, and the willingness to take a more scientific approach to the game. Read it, and you won't think about baseball in quite the same way again."―Nate Silver, founder and editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight
"I wish this book spent more time on the Red Sox winning four times as many titles as the Yankees this century, but The MVP Machine is a great and informative deep dive on the challenges of unlocking talent and building winning teams in the age of analytics."―Bill Simmons, founder and CEO, The Ringer
"High-speed cameras and radar-tracking devices have revolutionized training and are now giving baseball pitchers accurate, detailed and actionable feedback during practice. This captivating book details step-by-step how merely good major league pitchers have recently been able to transform themselves into great ones and reach previously unattainable levels of mastery by purposeful and deliberate practice."―K. Anders Ericsson, Conradi Eminent Scholar of Psychology, Florida State University, and author of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
"In today's game, players and teams are doing more than ever behind the scenes to change and improve. The work they do is absolutely critical to success but nearly invisible to the public -- until now. Any fan seeking a fresh look at how teams win in modern baseball should read this book."―Chaim Bloom, Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations, Tampa Bay Rays
"The MVP Machine isn't just the purest distillation yet of baseball's information era and how it came to be. It's a seminal road map for the game today and treasure map to find -- and understand -- the gems baseball soon will offer."―Jeff Passan, MLB insider, ESPN
"This is the book baseball needed, the definitive document on how the best players in the world are using new ideas to become even better. Until now, no one had delivered an authoritative, comprehensive look at the revolution that is transforming the sport and offering lessons that extend even beyond the field. If you want to understand the inner workings of the modern game, you must read The MVP Machine."―Ken Rosenthal, baseball reporter for The Athletic, Fox Sports, and MLB Network
"Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh brilliantly capture the next frontier of major-league teams' 'evolve or die' mindset: the league-wide movement of using data, technology, and science to revolutionize the way players are developed. Baseball has seen a rapid influx of high-curiosity, growth-mindset players and coaches, creating the perfect environment for innovation and rethinking convention. The MVP Machine provides tremendous insight into baseball's latest transformation."―Billy Eppler, General Manager, Los Angeles Angels
"As the game of baseball, and more specifically the teaching methods within, continue to evolve, The MVP Machine paints a real-time portrait of player development. Players and coaches are in a constant search for advantages that will push their personal limits on the field in order to maximize their abilities. Ben and Travis provide fascinating details of how individual players pushed the boundaries of innovative coaching, self-reflection, and a willingness to make even the smallest of adjustments in order to reach new heights as players. This book is a very accurate portrayal of modern-day player development and the ongoing pursuit of individual greatness."―Mike Hazen, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
"A lot of books have claimed to be Moneyball 2.0, but this book actually delivers. It chronicles the changes that are transforming the game of baseball at a fundamental level and shifting power back into the hands of players and coaches."―Mike Fast, Special Assistant to the General Manager, Atlanta Braves and former Director of Research and Development, Houston Astros
"Travis Sawchik and Ben Lindbergh are always at the forefront of the analytics revolution. The MVP Machine brings us the newly emerging competitive advantage whereby players are joining the intellectual advancement of the game and utilizing the new tools available to build a better Major League Player. Make no mistake, this is how games, divisions, and World Series titles are now being won."―Brian Kenny, MLB Network
About the Author
Ben Lindbergh is a staff writer for The Ringer. He also hosts the Effectively Wild podcast for FanGraphs and regularly appears on MLB Network. He is a former staff writer for FiveThirtyEight and Grantland, a former editor-in-chief of Baseball Prospectus, and the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team. He lives in New York City.
Travis Sawchik is a staff writer for FiveThirtyEight and regularly contributes to The Athletic Cleveland. He previously covered the Pirates for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Travis is the author of the New York Times bestseller Big Data Baseball: Math, Miracles, and the End of a 20-Year Losing Streak. Sawchik has won national Associated Press Sports Editor awards, and his work been featured or referenced on ESPN, Grantland, and MLB Network. Sawchik lives in Bay Village, OH.
Travis Sawchik is a staff writer for FiveThirtyEight and regularly contributes to The Athletic Cleveland. He previously covered the Pirates for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Travis is the author of the New York Times bestseller Big Data Baseball: Math, Miracles, and the End of a 20-Year Losing Streak. Sawchik has won national Associated Press Sports Editor awards, and his work been featured or referenced on ESPN, Grantland, and MLB Network. Sawchik lives in Bay Village, OH.
Start reading The MVP Machine on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : Basic Books (June 4, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1541698940
- ISBN-13 : 978-1541698949
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#281,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #73 in Baseball Coaching (Books)
- #289 in Baseball Biographies (Books)
- #342 in Sports Psychology (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
488 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
28 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Lindbergh and Sawchik provide a really interesting look at the science behind player development in baseball.
Imagine being able to throw a slider, look at images showing exactly how it came off your fingers, and measure its exact break. Then move your finger 1/1000th of an inch, check the break, and repeat the process until you've got just the movement you're looking for.
Imagine being able to hit a pitch from a pitching machine, and know exactly where and how it hit your bat. Imagine being able to adjust your swing ever so slightly to get more loft and spin on your fly balls. It's not science fiction - it's happening.
Data is everywhere. Teams can use it to help their players develop, and players can also use it to help themselves. It's changing teams' relationships with their players, and players' dependence on their teams for help with their development. It's also changing teams' approaches to how they scout and sign players, and impacting how (and which) teams are able to locate and develop the best players.
If Moneyball was really about exploiting unappreciated skills that were already there, then The MVP Machine is about exploiting undeveloped talents that are hiding under the surface. If Moneyball was based on the assumption that talent was fixed and development didn't matter, than The MVP Machine challenges that assumption.
The players and teams that can adjust to this new paradigm will be the ones who win... until the next big thing comes along, anyway.
Imagine being able to throw a slider, look at images showing exactly how it came off your fingers, and measure its exact break. Then move your finger 1/1000th of an inch, check the break, and repeat the process until you've got just the movement you're looking for.
Imagine being able to hit a pitch from a pitching machine, and know exactly where and how it hit your bat. Imagine being able to adjust your swing ever so slightly to get more loft and spin on your fly balls. It's not science fiction - it's happening.
Data is everywhere. Teams can use it to help their players develop, and players can also use it to help themselves. It's changing teams' relationships with their players, and players' dependence on their teams for help with their development. It's also changing teams' approaches to how they scout and sign players, and impacting how (and which) teams are able to locate and develop the best players.
If Moneyball was really about exploiting unappreciated skills that were already there, then The MVP Machine is about exploiting undeveloped talents that are hiding under the surface. If Moneyball was based on the assumption that talent was fixed and development didn't matter, than The MVP Machine challenges that assumption.
The players and teams that can adjust to this new paradigm will be the ones who win... until the next big thing comes along, anyway.
13 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
For those of you who are wondering if this book is worth your hard earned money - yes it is. After reading this book you will not only be ahead of the curve (no pun intended) at the water cooler at work but you will be prepared to answer the latest question by Jeff Luhnow which is,"what is the next best thing in baseball?"
If you're still reading, I'd like to say as a person who has watched, played and studied baseball since the 1972 World Series, this book not only explains the latest in player development but is written in an engaging manner by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik. I was not intimidated by its size or use of graphic organizers that most Sabermetricians dream about. Since I do not subscribe to the Brian Kenny view of baseball as it currently exists I came to this book having:
a. Enjoyed Ben's first book on baseball;
b. Having read Moneyball for the first time after avoiding it due to the overhype it was given by all of baseball "experts".
Ben and Travis hit it out of ball park by mixing personal stories with the science of player development. Their writing is clear and entertaining and is easy to follow. I found it so engaging that I finished the book in two days despite a busy life style. My only peeve in terms of writing style is that in some instances Ben or Travis will refer to the other by first name when discussing a vignette because they co-wrote book and want to tell the story as if the two them were sitting at your kitchen table telling you what they knew. A small peeve on my part.
As a historian of the game, I was glad they gave Branch Rickey his due as he truly brought player development to the game of baseball. If Rickey were alive today there is no doubt in my mind he'd be employing the technology outlined in this book.
As a fan of the a Orioles I would have liked to seen credit given to Paul Richards, Jim McLaughlin and George Bamberger for their roles developing skilled baseball players but I understand that Ben and Travis wanted to keep the book in the present in order to not make the book run more than the 300 plus pages they wrote.
If you're still reading, I'd like to say as a person who has watched, played and studied baseball since the 1972 World Series, this book not only explains the latest in player development but is written in an engaging manner by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik. I was not intimidated by its size or use of graphic organizers that most Sabermetricians dream about. Since I do not subscribe to the Brian Kenny view of baseball as it currently exists I came to this book having:
a. Enjoyed Ben's first book on baseball;
b. Having read Moneyball for the first time after avoiding it due to the overhype it was given by all of baseball "experts".
Ben and Travis hit it out of ball park by mixing personal stories with the science of player development. Their writing is clear and entertaining and is easy to follow. I found it so engaging that I finished the book in two days despite a busy life style. My only peeve in terms of writing style is that in some instances Ben or Travis will refer to the other by first name when discussing a vignette because they co-wrote book and want to tell the story as if the two them were sitting at your kitchen table telling you what they knew. A small peeve on my part.
As a historian of the game, I was glad they gave Branch Rickey his due as he truly brought player development to the game of baseball. If Rickey were alive today there is no doubt in my mind he'd be employing the technology outlined in this book.
As a fan of the a Orioles I would have liked to seen credit given to Paul Richards, Jim McLaughlin and George Bamberger for their roles developing skilled baseball players but I understand that Ben and Travis wanted to keep the book in the present in order to not make the book run more than the 300 plus pages they wrote.
11 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik’s “MVP Machine” is the most important book on baseball since Moneyball. Their exhaustive and pain staking attention to detail has created an exemplary book that will certainly give birth to a new sub genre of baseball literature in that of player development. Baseball analytics has far passed simply “Moneyball” and other forms of rudimentary sabremetrics. This book is the case example of that, and will be referenced as such in the future.
12 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Its easy to say that Moneyball is the most important baseball book of the 21st century, especially given the direction of the game has taken in the last 15 years, but Lindbergh and Sawchik have written a deeply-researched work that is better than Lewis's more famous prose. Not since John Helyar's Lords of the Realm has there been a baseball book this good. People can enjoy baseball on almost an infinite number of levels - you can go to a game and like the way the grass smells, or the hot dogs taste, or the pitcher tugs on his cap, or the center fielder chases down a ball in the gap, or the third baseman hits a 400 foot home run - but to not only enjoy the game, but to really understand the game's present and future, The MVP Machine is a must read.
9 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Top reviews from other countries
Davin Holo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly interesting.
Reviewed in Canada on June 20, 2019Verified Purchase
This book has exceeded all my expectations. It’s an in depth look into how players are being developed using the latest statistical and technological innovations. I really liked the stories explaining how this has helped current stars. Also Ben’s other book (The Only Rule is It Has To Work) is my favorite book EVER. Check it out!!
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
Henny
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book on the future/current trends in baseball
Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2019Verified Purchase
This book is amazing. I’m 150 pages into it and I’m hooked.
The authors write out the journeys of many players and how they reshaped and retransformed their careers with new insights and new ideas.
The book is a combination of stories of how certain players embraced not only the sabermetric revolution, but also the enormous amount of pitch tracking data and hitting data to practice and tweak their approach to improve their performance.
Last but not least the book is really well written and it doesn’t feel like you are reading a textbook. Every baseball fan should read this book.
The authors write out the journeys of many players and how they reshaped and retransformed their careers with new insights and new ideas.
The book is a combination of stories of how certain players embraced not only the sabermetric revolution, but also the enormous amount of pitch tracking data and hitting data to practice and tweak their approach to improve their performance.
Last but not least the book is really well written and it doesn’t feel like you are reading a textbook. Every baseball fan should read this book.
P. C. Moorehead
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best baseball books I've ever read!
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2019Verified Purchase
Great book for anyone who likes to be an educated baseball fan.
Lindberg and Sawchik pull back the curtain on the next frontier in applied baseball analytics: player development. But rather than just giving the reader a collection of stats, "The MVP Machine" is centred around the stories of a number of big leaguers who have used data to make themselves better players. The writing is clear and informative, and also very engaging.
A really great read!
Lindberg and Sawchik pull back the curtain on the next frontier in applied baseball analytics: player development. But rather than just giving the reader a collection of stats, "The MVP Machine" is centred around the stories of a number of big leaguers who have used data to make themselves better players. The writing is clear and informative, and also very engaging.
A really great read!
Julien Bélanger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read baseball book
Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2021Verified Purchase
Whether you like the new brand of baseball or not, you will love this book. The authors do an amazing job of detailing how fringe players made themselves into All-Star/MVP type players. Really easy to read. You can take a lot of stuff and translate it into coaching if need be too.
W. K. Burridge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Interesting read, couldn't put it down.
Reviewed in Canada on September 5, 2019Verified Purchase
This was an outstanding book, start to finish. I'd recommend it to any baseball fan especially if you're at all interested in how the technology and data are changing how players, coaches, and teams are approaching the game.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1



![The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team [Includes a New Afterword]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91++TpB8G0L._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)







