The 2005 Baseball Prospectus annual

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Started shipping to stores Monday! Woo hoo!

I'd buy it every year just for the jokes in the player comments.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay, I'm just a dilettante compared to you, Dr. M, and I participate in the horrid little game called "Fantasy Baseball." Why should I go get this today?

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 24 February 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd buy it every year just for the jokes in the player comments.

They're really good jokes. Actually, the all-around writing is excellent and entertaining (though I haven't bought a copy of this since the Adam Dunn cover). Also, the commentary goes a long way towards deciphering their semi-arcane stats. They usually have an essay per team, and then little blurbs about each player (including major leaguers & notable minor leaguers both on & off the 40-man roster, I think), w/ the requisite stats (both "official" and "translated"). And I believe there are also over-arcing essays included in the book, tackling baseball-wide issues, both on & off the field.

As for Fantasy Baseball usage, you could do a lot worse than plot a draft strategery based on BP's EQAs & 2K5 projections.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 24 February 2005 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, what David said... It's quite informative on player trends/aging and "organizational philosophy," whether you do the fantasy silliness or not -- tho I'd say it's definitely geared to real-world MLB analysis.

They significantly reduced (damn near removed) the "translated stat" element last year, tho ... tired of ppl alerting them to "typos" that weren't, I guess. Instead they have Adjusted OBP/SLG/etc along with the raw data.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 24 February 2005 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I got it last Friday. 2-3 of the authors doing a book tour, a few in NYC the next 2 weeks. The Coliseum Books one should get the hardcores:

http://baseballprospectus.com/events/

My bad, the "translated" stats (Adj BA/ OB/ SL) now appear in gray next to the raw numbers for each player.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 28 February 2005 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

i just bought this at lunch today. it's kind of stat-porn. i haven't had a chance to really read any of it yet, but i was kind of excited in the store. it's a big new step for me and my baseball geekery and all that. also, the player commentary did seem pretty entertaining (as noted above), which is what really convinced me to buy it.

― the leglo (the leglo), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

also, i think i am might go see the authors when in they are in philly on the 15th.

― the leglo (the leglo), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

me too!

― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Thursday, 3 March 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The Jaret Wright comment is one of my faves (paraphrasing closely): his 2004 "smacks of fluke canoodling with Mazzone legerdemain." Of course the Yanks fell for it, because "if you'd gone to high school with the Yankees, they'd have been the one touting Hothouse Flowers as the next U2."

Joe Sheehan on the site the other day named the top stories of '05 getting no ink now:

"1) Labor drums are beating again.

2) The Nationals aren't a cash cow.

3) The collapse of the Yankees."

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 March 2005 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

"Of course the Yanks fell for it, because "if you'd gone to high school with the Yankees, they'd have been the one touting Hothouse Flowers as the next U2.""

Haha is that really a quote from this? That's fuckin' hysterical.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 4 March 2005 18:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I can't quote the Kevin Brown one from memory but it's also gold. They encourage cross-refs and tangents in their writers, along with the number-crunching. (If Alex actually buys the book I will feel like Minaya landing Beltran.)

I believe the Cardinals article is an essay on Walt Jocketty's trading history.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 March 2005 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm gonna hit the local superstore to snatch this & the Jeff Chang book. They'd best have both. (Tho I am tempted to just up & leave RIGHT NOW!)

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 4 March 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

(Because I'm at the work thing, y'see.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 4 March 2005 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I just got this. I'm cracking up already. The entry on Steve Reed is pretty perfect: "Is he the greatest Rockie pitcher ever?...He's played in Denver for seven full seasons, allowed 201 earned runs in 499 innings, for an ERA of 3.63. If you run into Steve on the street, salute him, buy him a beer, pummel those who refuse to genuflect in his presence. Whatever seems right."

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Saturday, 5 March 2005 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Local super store can suck thumbtacks.

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 5 March 2005 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i got mine @ barnes & noble

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Saturday, 5 March 2005 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i would maybe like this (and need it for work maybe?). where can i get one in nyc?

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 6 March 2005 01:56 (twenty-one years ago)

stence just order it from amazon, you'll get same-day delivery in the city, plus you save $5

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Sunday, 6 March 2005 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i would rather support an independent bookstore, if any of them carry it.

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 6 March 2005 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, I was about to suggest Borders (where I got mine) or B&N. Independent bookstores, what a strange and foreign concept.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Sunday, 6 March 2005 03:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i might maybe go to borders, the one my friend works at, just to y'know help her out (and say "hi") but yeah i avoid the big chains when i can.

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 6 March 2005 04:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Coliseum Books across from Bryant Park should have it, Stenc, as they're doing an authors appearance next week.

I notice that FANTASY is the second subhead on the cover, so I guess they're being more aggressive on that front.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 7 March 2005 14:23 (twenty-one years ago)

There's also a BIG FANTASY link on the site's front page, & they offer a Fantasy-tailored online subscription plan.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 7 March 2005 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

but the book itself doesn't list RBIs for hitters or even wins for pitchers, "hey how's this dang thing gonna help me pick my players" hahaha suckaz

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Monday, 7 March 2005 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

RBI & wins = context-dependent stats non grata

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 7 March 2005 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

well yeah I know that...I just think it'll be funny for people who think this will be like some huge instant-success-for-my-fantasy-team guide thingy

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Monday, 7 March 2005 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I know you know... which makes me wonder if they aren't just setting themselves up for Roto hate mail.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 7 March 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yeah well I know you knew I knew INFINITY

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Monday, 7 March 2005 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Wilson Alvarez's ERA was INFINITY after his first MLB appearance.

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 7 March 2005 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

and yet he remains the last ChiSock to toss a no-no

(geez I hope I'm talking about baseball with that statement)

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Monday, 7 March 2005 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Wilson Alvarez's ERA was INFINITY after his first MLB appearance.

Thanks to Alvarez's outing of suckitude against my Jays, we are still able to claim that no pitcher born in the 70's ('71) ever retired a batter in the 80's ('89).

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 7 March 2005 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I need to stop talking about this book, but the entry on Bobby Abreu really brought tears to my eyes.

It reads, in part, "Ballplayer."

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

MIR... are you making this up? (I sincerely hope you are)

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm going to use this and depth charts as my primary guidelines - even without predicting RBI & wins, I'm hoping this does better than my usual method (show up to auction w/ current depth charts & fake it. but I won one last year so...)

Also expecting the minor league info to be leaps beyond the top-100 list Baseball Weekly will publish at some point

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

RBI & wins = context-dependent stats non grata

do you complain to the Wall Street Journal about market capitalization too?

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 7 March 2005 22:55 (twenty-one years ago)

MIR... are you making this up?

No, that's the truth! Alvarez was the only pitcher born in the 70's to pitch in the 80's.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Monday, 7 March 2005 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Teh Kruk predicted 30 wins for Big Unit, who needs some egghead numberology book?

― mattbot (mattbot), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Wrong thread, Mattbot!

2005 Rolling Dumb-Ass Baseball Analysis Thread

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 06:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Coliseum in NYC actually has a monthly baseball author event ... Some are better than others. Greg Spira does great stuff too.

Coliseum Bookstore at 11 W. 42 St. presents a 6 pm book talk and signing by Greg Spira & Matt Silverman [USA
Today/Sports Weekly's Best Baseball Writing 2005] and Joseph Sheehan, Chris
Kahrl & Steven Goldman [Baseball Prospectus 2005: Statistics, Analysis, and
Insight for the Information Age].

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i finally got my copy yesterday. the russ ortiz line toward the beginning of the dbacks section is amazing!

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Friday, 11 March 2005 15:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Eddie Guardado: "Like breaking up with a hot, crazy girlfriend."

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Saturday, 12 March 2005 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG the John Vander Wal song

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Saturday, 12 March 2005 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got to get this. Books A Million in Tupelo are a bunch of shit-sucking morons for not having it yet.

― Curious George Finds the Ether Bottle (Rock Hardy), Sunday, 13 March 2005 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks for the tip on this book, it is great. I haven't had this much fun with a baseball annual since I was a kid getting a Street & Smith guide every year.

There are some harsh assessments in this book. Under Craig Biggio's position, it is listed as "stump". Ouch!

Rafael Palmiero
"The only player in baseball not only to use a performance enhancing drug, but he went on television to encourage others to do the same."

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Sunday, 13 March 2005 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

so, i went to the author event in philly last night. it was kind of cool. they kept the book shilling to a reasonable level, and mostly just answered questions, which was pretty interesting. steve goldman seemed like he would be the most fun to have a beer with. clay davenport was entertaining as the mad scientist of stats, and chris karhl had a deeper voice than anyone else in the room.

― the leglo (the leglo), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

my account of the nyc reading

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I meant to blow blog smoke up yr bum, Yanc3, but since you posted it here - nice job on the write-up!

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

This book still pays Trading Deadline dividends -- Randy Winn is listed as "CF" with quotation marks! And the Geoff Blum comment says, "If you look at his whole career, he switch-sucks equally from both sides."

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 1 August 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

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