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The Hidden Game of Baseball
A Revolutionary Approach to Baseball and Its Statistics
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With contributions by:
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Preface by:
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2015
About this book
Long before Moneyball became a sensation or Nate Silver turned the knowledge he’d honed on baseball into electoral gold, John Thorn and Pete Palmer were using statistics to shake the foundations of the game. First published in 1984, The Hidden Game of Baseball ushered in the sabermetric revolution by demonstrating that we were thinking about baseball stats—and thus the game itself—all wrong. Instead of praising sluggers for gaudy RBI totals or pitchers for wins, Thorn and Palmer argued in favor of more subtle measurements that correlated much more closely to the ultimate goal: winning baseball games.
The new gospel promulgated by Thorn and Palmer opened the door for a flood of new questions, such as how a ballpark’s layout helps or hinders offense or whether a strikeout really is worse than another kind of out. Taking questions like these seriously—and backing up the answers with data—launched a new era, showing fans, journalists, scouts, executives, and even players themselves a new, better way to look at the game.
This brand-new edition retains the body of the original, with its rich, accessible analysis rooted in a deep love of baseball, while adding a new introduction by the authors tracing the book’s influence over the years. A foreword by ESPN’s lead baseball analyst, Keith Law, details The Hidden Game’s central role in the transformation of baseball coverage and team management and shows how teams continue to reap the benefits of Thorn and Palmer’s insights today. Thirty years after its original publication, The Hidden Game is still bringing the high heat—a true classic of baseball literature.
The new gospel promulgated by Thorn and Palmer opened the door for a flood of new questions, such as how a ballpark’s layout helps or hinders offense or whether a strikeout really is worse than another kind of out. Taking questions like these seriously—and backing up the answers with data—launched a new era, showing fans, journalists, scouts, executives, and even players themselves a new, better way to look at the game.
This brand-new edition retains the body of the original, with its rich, accessible analysis rooted in a deep love of baseball, while adding a new introduction by the authors tracing the book’s influence over the years. A foreword by ESPN’s lead baseball analyst, Keith Law, details The Hidden Game’s central role in the transformation of baseball coverage and team management and shows how teams continue to reap the benefits of Thorn and Palmer’s insights today. Thirty years after its original publication, The Hidden Game is still bringing the high heat—a true classic of baseball literature.
Author / Editor information
John Thorn, a sports historian and author, has been the official baseball historian for Major League Baseball since 2011. He resides in New York. Pete Palmer is a statistician, baseball analyst, and a former consultant to Sports Information Center. He lives in New Hampshire and Florida. Together Thorn and Palmer were the lead editors of Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball. David Reuther was project manager for Total Baseball and an editor and publisher of children’s books for over thirty years.
Reviews
“I read the original so many times over the years that I wore out the binding and had to buy another at a premium years later.”
— Jim Furtado, Baseball Think Factory“The re-release of The Hidden Game of Baseball will expose a new generation of baseball fans to one of the most important baseball books ever written. Thorn and Palmer ranking Barry Bonds as the best player of all time in the new appendix just makes a great book even greater . . . and more ripe for fun debates.”
— Jonah Keri, author of The Extra 2% and Up, Up, and Away“As grateful as I was for the publication of The Hidden Game of Baseball when it first showed up on my bookshelf, I’m even more grateful now. It’s as insightful today as it was then. And it’s a reminder that we haven’t applauded Thorn and Palmer nearly loudly enough for their incredible contributions to the use and understanding of the awesome numbers of baseball.”
— Jayson Stark, senior baseball writer, ESPN.com“Just as one cannot know the great American novel without Twain and Hemingway, one cannot know modern baseball analysis without Thorn and Palmer.”
— Rob Neyer, FOX Sports“If you’ve always wanted to read this book, but had trouble finding it in second-hand bookstores, or you’ve never read it at all . . . go get it now. It’s a must-have in every stats-oriented fan’s library.”
— Value Over Replacement Grit“Credit should be given to Thorn and Palmer, who were using a novel battery of statistics way back in 1984, when the first edition of The Hidden Game of Baseball introduced sabermetric analysis of the sport. . . . This updated edition adds a new introduction by the authors that traces the book’s influence over the past three decades.”
— Daily BeastTopics
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Frontmatter
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Contents
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Foreword
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Preface
xiii -
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
xix -
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1. The Music of Sphere and Ash
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2. What’s Wrong with Traditional Baseball Statistics
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3. The New Statistics
37 -
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4. The Linear Weights System
62 -
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5. There’s No Place Like Home
82 -
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6. The Theory of Relativity and Other Absolute Truths
102 -
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7. The Good Old Days Are Now
122 -
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8. The Book . . . and the Computer
150 -
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9. Rising to the Occasion
169 -
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10. 44 Percent of Baseball
177 -
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11. Measuring the Unmeasurable
192 -
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12. What Makes Teams Win
201 -
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13. Great Single-Season Performances
221 -
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14. The Ultimate Baseball Statistic
237 -
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15. Rumblings in the Pantheon
249 -
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Key to Symbols Used in the Tables
262 -
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Tables
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Appendix: Top 500 Players of All Time (through 2013)
417 -
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Bibliography
429
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
January 20, 2021
eBook ISBN:
9780226276830
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9780226276830
Keywords for this book
baseball; statistics; sports; pro athlete; sabermetrics; probability; strategy; management; bunt; stolen base; babe ruth; hall of fame; greatest; records; wins; rbi; linear weights; pennant; world series; pitching; batting; gloves; bats; ash; win loss percentages; earned run averages; analytics; barry bonds; nonfiction; biography; professional; coach; team; season
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
