NONFICTION

The Only Rule Is It Has To Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team

Lindbergh, Ben & . Holt. May 2016. 368p. illus. ISBN 9781627795647. $30; ebk. ISBN 9781627795654. SPORTS
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Baseball encompasses a multitude of statistics; every aspect of the game is analyzed and put under a microscope by experts and dedicated fans every year. In this debut, former Baseball Prospectus editor in chief Lindbergh teams with Miller, current Baseball Prospectus editor in chief and coauthor of Baseball Prospectus 2016, to share their experience establishing a winning minor league team. Utilizing their vast knowledge of the game, the authors convinced the owners of the independent Sonoma Stompers to allow them to handle daily operations. Their experiment—whether the statistical analysis system sabermetrics could create a championship team—turned out to be like none other. While critics thought the hypothesis crazy, the results are truly riveting. This absorbing read takes readers through some very unorthodox methods of management. With honest and captivating prose, the authors compel readers to care about players that don't make a lot of money yet still have big league dreams and aspirations.
VERDICT Die-hard fantasy baseball players, statistic geeks, and anyone interested in the sport's legacy will appreciate this work.
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