Baseball Prospectus 2014 Author: Baseball Prospectus | Language: English | ISBN:
1620457903 | Format: PDF
Baseball Prospectus 2014 Description
Review
""The tip of the nerd spear."" —Ken Tremendous
""If you're a baseball fan and you don't know what BP is, you're working in a mine without one of those helmets with the lights on it."" —Keith Olbermann
""Baseball Prospectus has become the standard by which all scouting guides should be measured."" —Billy Beane, General Manager, Oakland A's
""For me, every year baseball begins with the big, brilliant, beautiful book you are holding in your hands right now."" —Joe Posnanski
""The first time I saw the PECOTA projections, I realized that someone out there understood."" —Jeff Luhnow, General Manager, Houston Astros
- Hardcover: 592 pages
- Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (February 11, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1620457903
- ISBN-13: 978-1620457900
- Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
I'm relatively new to the Kindle platform, so it's possible that there might be ways to address some of the issues I have with the Kindle edition of BP2014. I also recognize that to match the experience of print with a title that features a variety of data presentation formats (text, various exhibits, tables, etc.) in a book that is probably more "random access reference" than it is "regular read" is asking for a lot.
Despite lowered expectations, however, the BP2014 Kindle edition still manages to underwhelm. Specific complaints from this Kindle Fire HD reader:
1) The basic player presentations, at first glance, are fine -- each player starts on a new "page" followed by their statistical chart and the commentary. But then you look at the statistical chart -- most players have 3-4 years of data to present, and this is presented broken down across three separate tables to accommodate the width limitations in portrait format. It's awful for anyone who is accustomed to any form of "normal" baseball statistics presentation, including BP's annual. And forget about flipping into landscape mode to overcome it -- the three tables are hardwired. (This is where my limited Kindle knowledge kicks in -- I have no idea what the "right" answer is, but I can tell you what was done isn't it.)
2) The "go to..." index is limited to the major articles (fine) and the team articles. Which means that to locate a specific player requires that you go to the team article and then page like mad to get to where you want to be. If you're looking for Matt Adams of the Cardinals, it's not too bad (he's the first hitter following the team article), but if it's Adam Wainwright (at the end of the pitchers, who are after all the batters), it's not so swift.
I really enjoy this volume's arrival each year. It is filled with sabermetric analysis. Statistics beyond ERA, batting average, slugging percentage, etc. add a deeper dimension to sensing how well a player did. Also enjoyable is PECOTA, a system to project a player's performance in the upcoming season--in this case 2014.
Normally, I immediately go to see how my favored team, the Chicago White Sox, is represented here. Last year was not a good year, as the statistics show (1st in unearned runs allowed, # 1 is fewest runs scored) and their talent cupboard (major and minor league) and their finances and management rate 29th in baseball. Not auspicious for the coming season.
The player by player analyses are always interesting, and I especially like the projections. For instance, Adam Dunn. A hitter with a lot of power (let's forget a dreadful 2011) and a low average (the last three years: .159, .204, .219). 2014? A .214 batting average and 28 home runs. Not sure the home runs counter the miserable projected batting average. There is a 0% chance he will improve his performance dramatically, a 22% chance of improvement, only a 7% chance of a collapse (major decline), and a 17% chance of attrition (having performance decline--but not dramatically). Paul Konerko has had a career that is worthy of appreciation. However, he has been slowing down. Last year--a .244 batting average, just 12 home runes, and just 54 RBIs. A career in decline. This will be his final year. Projections? 19 homers, 68 RBIs, and a .269 batting average--a mild comeback from last year. We shall see what actually happens.
Pitching? The projection is for Chris Sale, a terrific pitcher by a variety of statistics, to have some problems winning.
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