by dan schlossberg
The 2017 baseball season, and especially the World Series that followed, will be remembered as the year of the home run.
You are reading: Best baseball books 2017
But for armchair fans of the game, who enjoy both a good baseball read and a well-hit ball, 2017 will be known as the year of the biography.
There are impressive volumes on Casey Stengel, Hank Greenberg, Lefty O’Doul, Leo Durocher, Lou Piniella, David (Big Papi) Ortiz, Mike Piazza, and even Lyman Bostock, whose fledgling career was cut short by an unintentional bullet. Newly inducted Hall of Famers Tim Raines and Pudge Rodriguez and Chipper Jones, a likely 2018 pick, also appear in timely autobiographies.
Cal Ripken’s streak, Hank Greenberg’s best year, and the Chicago Cubs’ unlikely world championship are also among the best tomes of 2017.
the end of chicago’s 108-year title drought unleashed nearly a dozen volumes, including one on the real-life animal that caused the wrigley field goat curse and another on how the management team met your five-year plan.
books of essays, cartoons, and analysis, as well as a couple of books about women who played professional baseball, are worth reading over the winter.
Now that we’re in the offseason, there’s plenty of time to read before pitchers and catchers show up.
This is what the best books look like:
1. st. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team (Reedy Press, 184 pp., $36), by Bill Borst, Bill Rogers, and Ed Wheatley of St. louis brown historical society. Bill Veeck, Satchel Paige, Eddie Gaedel, and the now-defunct Team live again in this beautiful hardcover, easily the best-looking book of the year. the invariably bad browns won just one pennant (in wartime), but finished first in the field of stunts, climbs and colorful uniforms. the designer of this coffee table book will win many more honors.
2. the ultimate yankee book (page street publishing, 288 pp., $35), by harvey frommer. this complete history, all in one package, includes player and manager biographies, stadium information, and graphics ranging from the day until Roger Maris’ 1961 all-time record on the Yankees’ postseason appearances list. the author even includes details on spring training sites, ballpark billboards, and memorable quotes. the best part is the team timeline.
3. Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Person (Doubleday, 413 pp., $27.95) by Marty Appel. The author of 18 previous baseball books, Appel hits a home run with this detailed biography of the former player and manager. Best known as the man whose prowess in the platoon produced 10 pennants in 12 years with the Yankees, Stengel is portrayed as a personality who loved to amuse others with words and deeds. It’s fitting that his first team was nicknamed “The Lunatics.”
4. the cooperstown casebook (thomas dunne books, 368 pp., $36.99) by jay jaffe, foreword by peter gammons. Sure to generate controversy, this hardcover shows how analysis can be applied to salon selection of fame jaffe explains who should be in, who should be kicked out, and who should win consecration in the future.
5. Smart Baseball: The Story Behind The Old Stats That Ruin The Game, The New Stats That Drive It, And The Right Way To Think About Baseball (William Morrow, 293 pp., $34.99) by Keith Law. Another sabermetrics-driven author, Law uses warfare (win vs. replacement), operations (on base plus slugging), and ideas introduced in the 1984 volume, The Hidden Game of Baseball. among his conclusions: a single is worth more than a walk and a batter who produces three singles in four at-bats is more valuable than a player who hits a home run in four at-bats. more and more teams use analysis in the movements of their players and in the game strategy.
6. The Big Chair: The Smooth Jumps and Bad Bounces of the Inner World of the Acclaimed Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager (Putnam, 440 pp., $28) by Ned Colletti with Joseph A. Reaves. In nine wild and crazy years as general manager of the Dodgers, the author endured the owners’ divorce, yasiel puig and manny ramirez’s misbehavior, and fan comments about free agent signings, business takeovers and failure to advance to the world series. this is an entertaining read, written from a perspective audiences rarely see.
7. The Plan: Epstein, Maddon, and the Bold Plan for the Puppy Dynasty (Triumph, 290 pp., $24.95) by David Kaplan, Foreword by Anthony Rizzo. From the time the Ricketts family bought the puppies a tribune company in 2009 a reconstruction plan was started. It took five years, but the arrival of young executive Theo Epstein from Boston, ace pitcher Jake Arrieta from Baltimore and manager Joe Maddon from Tampa Bay laid the groundwork for the 2016 team that ended a 108-year drought between world championships. . Chicago sportscaster David Kaplan traces the roots of that remarkable comeback.
8. chipper jones ballplayer (dutton, 369 pp., $27) by chipper jones with carroll rogers walton. On the way to a potential 2018 date in Cooperstown, he endured seven knee surgeries, several position changes and personal issues that hampered his life off the field but also established himself as one of the best switch hitters in baseball history while spending his entire 19-year career with the Braves. In an excellent revealing autobiography, Jones recounts his ups and downs.
9. The Bill James Baseball Handbook (Minutes, 620 pp, $29.95), from Bill James and Baseball Info Solutions. An invaluable paperback reference, this book predicts the performance of players, future members of the Hall of Fame and the minuscule odds that any pitcher will break the 300-win club. it also contains full career logs for each active player, career goals and much more.
10. Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hate and Home Runs in the Shadow of War (Sports Publishing, 235 pp., $24.99) by Ron Kaplan. Greenberg, the first Jewish superstar, endured epithets and prejudice, but managed to win MVP awards in two different positions before military service took four years off his career. In her fourth book, Kaplan captures the man and his battles well.
11. The National Baseball Hall of Fame Almanac (Baseball America, 560 pp., $24.95), edited by Will Lingo. Biographies, stats, and photos of 317 Hall of Fame inductees, plus Year-by-year election results, the rules for the election, and lists of first-timers, members who spent their careers in a club, and other information you need to know are found in this extremely useful and practical paperback.
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12. Forbidden: The Baseball Blacklist of Stars and Rans (Entertainment Books, 152 pages, $12.99), by Hal Bock. Proving that good things often come in small packages, this easy-to-read paperback should entertain readers, but serve as a warning to players to behave. Bock, a former AP writer, not only talks about the Black Sox scandal and the Mexican League outlaw, but also about Pete Rose, Alex Rodriguez, Steve Howe, and even owners Marge Schott, George Steinbrenner, and William cox. maybe john rocker will crack the next edition.
13. dinner with dimaggio: memoirs of an american hero (simon & schuster, 350 pp., $26), by dr. rock positano and john positano, foreword by francis ford coppola. written by a doctor who never saw dimaggio play but became his closest confidant, this hardcover book is packed with previously unknown pieces, including the ephemeral marilyn monroe marriage.
14. The Streak: Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken, and Baseball’s Longest Record (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 299 pp., $26) by John Eisenberg. In his fifth book, Eisenberg describes the difficulties of playing every day, Using Gehrig and Ripken as prime examples, but also pointing to players like Dale Murphy, Steve Garvey, and Billy Williams. readers will learn a lot about ripken that they didn’t know before.
15. Lou: 50 Years Kicking Dirt, Playing Hard, and Winning Big in Baseball’s Sweet Spot (Harper, 352 pp., $15.39), by Lou Piniella with Bill Madden. From Rookie of the Year to General Manager, Piniella was so successful that he became a serious candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Known for his titanic temper, he was popular with the players and the press, as Madden knows from years of coverage of him in the daily news.
16. distilled (harpercollins, 348pp, $27.99) by charles bronfman with howard green. this is the story of the jewish canadian who took baseball out of the united states when he bought the montreal expansion franchise that began play in 1962 .an unusual story for a baseball book, examines the game from the unique perspective of the club owner.
17. Incredible Baseball Stories: Incredible Tales From The Diamond (Skyhorse, 231 pages, $17.99), edited by Ken Samelson. This delightful paperback spans the spectrum of baseball history with stories from Albert Spalding, Christy mathewson and john mcgraw, articles on ty cobb and the black sox, and more recent stories on hank aaron and bobby cox. It’s a great read for a snowy afternoon or a long plane ride.
18. Happens Every Spring: Dimaggio, Mays, The Splendid Splinter, and A Lifetime in the Stadium (Triumph, 450 pp., $19.95) by Ira Berkow. Author of 25 books, Berkow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose best the work appears in this pocket sampler. Essays range from Rickey Henderson to Pete Rose and Cal Ripken Jr. With a substantial nod to Black Stockings, Casey Stengel, The Pine Tar Game, and even Oscar Madison from The Odd Couple.
19. fly the w: photos and stories from the daily herald (triumph, 160 pp, $26.95), foreword by len casper. the players and playoffs from the 2016 cub season are captured in one hardcover short but stunning full of -page color photos. is the best of many puppy tributes.
20. Baseball Meat Market: The Stories Behind the Best and Worst Trades in History (Street Post Page, 240 pp, $22.99), by Shawn Krest. Much more than a list of baseball’s biggest deals, this hardcover tells the stories behind the trades. It’s hard to imagine Bobby Cox asking, “Who the hell is John Smoltz?” But Braves fans had the same reactions after the 1987 trade. Unable to cover all the big deals, the author does a good job of picking out a relative handful, from the 17-man trade to the Marlins split. Mark Teixeira’s trade mechanics, Whitey Herzog’s multiple moves, and trades from Miguel Cabrera, Mike Piazza, and Alex Rodriguez are here, along with Jay Buhner’s one-sided trade that became a Seinfeld joke.
21. Electric October: Seven World Series Games, Six Lives, Five Minutes of Fame That Lasted Forever (Henry Holt, 291 pp., $30) by Kevin Cook. Few fans remember Ralph Branca, the playoff goat In 1951, he pitched the first game of the 1947 World Series. Or that Yogi Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in Fall Classics history. But remember Cookie Lavagetto blew a no-hitter in the ninth, defensive replacement to Gionfriddo deprived Joe Dimaggio, and Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in the series. author kevin cook brings back great memories.
22. Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic: Reggie, Rollie, Catfish and Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s (hmh, 386 pp., $28) by Jason Turbow. Titles sandwiched around three world championships in succession. This book remembers those teams and players and leaves readers wondering why Finley didn’t follow Jackson, Fingers, and Hunter to Cooperstown.
23. papi: my story (hmh, 262 pp., $28) by david ortiz with michael holley. There’s a 2022 hall of fame plaque waiting for papi grande, a giant man who rose from childhood poverty to become the main star in a world champion team. Ortiz addresses his early struggles in Minnesota, mounting accusations of steroid abuse, his friendships with Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, injuries that forced him to consider early retirement, and the bombing at the Boston Marathon. fans will find a few surprises in the well-crafted hardcover.
24. The Year of the Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball’s Golden Age (hmh, 381 pp., $28) by Sridhar Pappu. This book is about a year, 1968, that was tumultuous for both of them. baseball and country. Civil rights, Vietnam, and the second Kennedy assassination made front-page headlines, while Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and Don Drysdale dominated the sports tabloid pages. the author, a columnist for the new york times, weaves that fabric well.
25. The Jewish Baseball Trading Card Book (Jewish Major Leaguers, Inc. with the Jewish Baseball Museum, 194 pp., $49.95), by Bob Wechsler with Peter McDonald and Martin Abramowitz. An oversized, full-color hardcover replete with images of Jewish baseball players is a fitting climax to the eight games previously produced by Jewish major leaguers. In addition to Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax, all 44 Jewish players since 2000, including recent World Series sluggers Alex Bregman and Joc Pederson, appear here in words and pictures. The producers obtained the necessary reprint permissions from MLB, Topps, Upper Deck and others to create one of the most unusual and artistic books in recent times.
26. Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son (Bloomsbury, 304 pp., $28) by Paul Dickson. Author of 40 books, Dickson offers a dynamic portrait of the combative and controversial Durocher, best known as the passionate manager of four different Teams The author describes in detail the reasons for the endless animosity between the hard-living Durocher and Commissioner Happy Chandler, who suspended him for a year and said the undisciplined manager gave him more trouble than all the major leaguers put together.
27. A Nation Under Baseball: How the 1960s Collided with the National Pastime (Nebraska, 256 pp., $29.95) by John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro, Foreword by Bob Costas. Major Social and Political Changes Coming shocked the nation in the ’60s also changed the national pastime. The era that ended with Woodstock and the moon landing followed the civil rights protests and assassinations that changed the nation. At the same time, baseball was also changing, with the Yankees falling, the Mets rising, and the first rumors of free agency.
28. The Draw of Sport (Fantagraphics, 200 pp., $24.99) by Murray Oldman. Although this hardcover covers more than baseball, there are enough classic baseball cartoons to present this volume here. Older men’s favorites reprinted here include Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Stan Musial, Walter O’Malley, Nolan Ryan, and Warren Spahn.
29. Yankee Pride: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic (Hachette, 293 pp., $35) by Richard Sandomir. Baseball movies are usually bombs, but Gehrig’s story was too poignant to fail. In this well-researched hardcover, the author tells the story of the film, even revealing that sports news felt compelled to protect its accuracy.
30. home team: the troubled history of the san francisco giants (nebraska, 264 pp., $29.95) by robert f. garratt. even before the giants fell to the bottom of the standings this year, they had a rollercoaster almost as jarring as the 1989 world series earthquake. horace stoneham imported latin stars and the first japanese player, but he also left town with an albatross in the windblown chandelier park. The fans stayed home and the team almost moved twice before the arrival of AT&T Park. This hardcover covers that story, plus Alvin Dark’s troubles and Hall of Fame achievements that wore orange and black.
31. They Call Me Fatty: My Life Playing the Game I Love (Triumph, 239 pp., $25.95) by Ivan Rodriguez with Jeff Sullivan, Foreword by Nolan Ryan and Jim Leyland. as the current hero of the Astros, Jose altuve, i-rod was a two-way star that started young and succeeded despite its diminutive size. Playing for six teams in 21 seasons, he won league and playoff MVP awards and later became the first Puerto Rican elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. This book reveals Rodriguez as a dedicated team player and family man from humble beginnings.
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32. From the Dugouts to the Trenches: Baseball During the Great War (Nebraska, 280 pp., $32.95) by Jim Leeke. American involvement in World War I was brief, but baseball made many contributions. Often overlooked because so much time has passed, this important and scholarly work contains rare images from the Library of Congress.
33. Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane (Triumph, 253 pp., $25.95) by Tim Raines with Alan Maimon, Foreword by Andre Dawson, Introduction by Jonah Keri. The title is true: Raines could run like the wind but he also battled drug problems that delayed his entry into Cooperstown. He starred in the now-defunct Montreal Expos, but made it to the World Series only after joining the Yankees late in his career. In this revealing tome, Raines reveals how Dawson and Gary Carter took him under their wing and made him a perennial star.
34. Piazza: Catcher, Slugger, Icon, Star (Sports Publishing, 264 pp., $24.99) by Greg W. the prince. When the Mets acquired Piazza from the Marlins on May 22, 1998, they became instant contenders. A catcher who hit cleanup, the former Dodgers standout hit more home runs than any other catcher and earned a place in the hearts of Mets fans and in the baseball Hall of Fame. Author Greg Prince, a Mets blogger, has an obvious affection for the player and the team.
35. making my pitch: a woman’s baseball odyssey (nebraska, 264 pp., $26.95) by ila borders & Jean Ardell, Foreword by Mike Veeck. With the exception of a fictional fox show called “Pitch” that aired last season, professional baseball teams have not found, or even considered, female players. But a lefty pitcher named Ila Borders changed all that when Mike Veeck signed her to the St. saints paul. she spent four years playing hardball against male opponents and became the first woman in the modern era to win a game. Family strife and personal issues, including prejudice from men who thought baseball was not for girls, complicated her journey, as her revealing and forceful book reveals.
36. teammate: my baseball journey and a world series for the ages (hachette books, 242 pp., $36.50), by david ross with don yeager, foreword by theo epstein. during a 15-day run Years with seven different teams, David Ross spent so much time on the bench that he learned not to take himself seriously. the popular backup catcher played for two world champions, polishing a reputation as a good team player, and used his bright personality in broadcast work — his future strong unless he decides to manage. there will be offers soon.
37. Macho Row: The 1993 Phillies and Baseball’s Unwritten Code (Nebraska, 384 pp., $27.95) by William C. Kashatus. Loud and irreverent, the Phils crushed all comers, including the Brave favorites in the National League playoffs, before falling to Toronto in the World Series. Most of the cast were characters, from John Kruk and Mitch (Wild Thing) Williams to Lenny Dykstra and Dutch Daulton. This solid hardcover focuses on six key players and how their take no prisoners philosophy took them further than anyone expected.
38. Lefty O’Doul: Baseball’s Forgotten Ambassador (Nebraska, 384 pp, $27.95) by Dennis Snelling. A pitcher with sore arms turned hard-hitting outfielder, O’Doul left an indelible mark on his hometown of San Francisco, but also brought baseball to Japan, where it became the national pastime. If he had played longer, he would probably be in Cooperstown.
39. Off Speed: Baseball, Pitching, and the Art of Deception (Pantheon, 193 pp., $23.95) by Terry Mcdermott. This book focuses on a single game, Seattle’s perfect Felix Hernandez vs. Tampa Bay in 2012, to show why cornering, sliders, shifters, and other off-speed pitches are probably more practical than a steady diet of fastballs.
40. so you think you’re a fan of the new york yankees? Stars, Stats, Records, and Memories for True Diehards (sports publication, 186 pages, $14.99) by howie karpin. Yankees fans will enjoy the proof format of this witty paperback, written by a veteran new york sportswriter and official scorer howie karpin. The questions get more difficult as the book progresses, but they cover the many great players, great seasons, and great events in the team’s history.
41. Detroit Tigers: The Big Fifty (Triumph, 320 pages, $16.95) by Tom Gage, Foreword by Alan Trammell. In 36 years as a Detroit Beat writer, the author has often witnessed history, much of it shared in this compact pocket book. Covers both the good (Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris) and the bad (John Smoltz Trading) with considerable research (Ty Cobb, Hal Newhouser). there’s a lot to love here, especially the bright and fresh writing plus the attractive design.
42. Could, Would, Should: Baseball Stories You Haven’t Heard Yet (Acta Sports, 108 pp, $10.95) by Chris Williams. A clever little paperback that will appeal to younger fans, this book It ranges from the DHs (Herb Washington), with a healthy sprinkling of cub stories from last place in 1966 to the 2016 world champions. The Black Sox scandal and Dick Allen’s career are also covered.
43. The 50 Greatest Players in Giants History (Sports Publishing, 329 pp., $25.99) by Robert W. Cohen. Rankings always spark debate, especially since Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey are still active. Barry and Bobby’s bonuses are included, but Pablo Sandoval over Jack Clark? this hardcover story is sure to spark heated arguments.
44. Urban Shocker: Silent Hero of Baseball’s Golden Age (Nebraska, 352 pp, $32.95) by Steve Steinberg. Overshadowed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig with the Assassin’s Row Yankees, Shocker was a standout starting pitcher who triumphed while battling heart disease. Historian Steve Steinberg, who has written about the Yankees of the 1920s before, offers a long-awaited living history.
45. My Puppies: A Love Story (Blue Rider Press, 149 pp., $23), by Scott Simon. with Charlie Grimm playing the banjo at Thanksgiving dinner and Jack Brickhouse as a close friend of the family, chicago native scott simon couldn’t help but love puppies. He even visited the tavern of the goats! This ode to his favorite team is personal and poetic, tracing a timeline that stretches from the Ernie Banks era to the 2016 World Championship season. The popular NPR host is the author of seven previous books.
46. chicago pups: tale of a curse (farrar, straus & giroux, 273 pp., $26), by rich cohen. this columnist believes that the curse of the wrigley field goat began in 1945, when the The team banned Billy Sianis’ goat mascot even though he had his own World Series ticket. rich cohen, a chicago native who is also a decorated writer, believes the curse lasted much longer, between world titles in 1908 and 2016. in his new hardcover, he talks about the team’s success in the early 20th century, but he reveals that his father warned him not to become a fan of the puppies because of the disappointment it would bring, which was later shown in the crashes of 1969 and 1984. the funniest part of the book? the author’s long tirade about dave kingman, the cranky all-or-nothing slugger.
47. Blooming Girls: Pioneers of Women’s Baseball (University of Illinois, 311 pp), by Debra Shattuck. Long before there was a league of their own, women were making their mark as baseball players. This paperback paints a vivid portrait of distaff players during the 19th century, long before any of them (or their mothers) had a vote. it’s a little-known facet of baseball history finally getting the attention it deserves.
48. Murphy’s Ticket: The Ridiculous Beginning and Glorious End of the Curse of the Billy Goat from Chicago Cubs (Sleeping Bear Press, 34 pp., $16.99) by Brad Herzog, Illustrated by David Leonard. shortest book of the year is also the most unusual. Part cartoon, part poetry, it’s the purported true story of the creature behind Wrigley Field’s goat curse.
49. The Life and Trials of Roger Clemens: Baseball’s Rocket Man and the Questionable Case Against Him (McFarland, 272 pp., $29.95) by Alexander Hansen. Did he or didn’t he? when a player’s numbers improve as he gets older, that indicates artificial improvement. But the seven-time Cy Young Award winner swears he’s innocent. the author, a lawyer, seems to agree.
50. They wore red socks and pinstripes (McFarland, 208 pp., $35) by Todd Stanley. Babe Ruth might have been the greatest man to play for both the Red Sox and Yankees, but he wasn’t alone. wade boggs, johnny damon, sparky lyle and many others spent time with both rivals. their stories are captured in this creative pocket book.
[editor’s note: this article does not include the author’s book, The New Baseball Bible: Notes, Nuggets, Lists & legends of our national pastime, a 424-page paperback from the sports publication.]Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ, is the author of 38 books and more than 25,000 articles on the game. the longtime sports collectors recaps columnist is also a baseball editor for latino sports. his email address is ballauthor@gmail.com.
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