Foul Territory

My copy of Baseball Prospectus 2005 showed up in the mail after what seemed like an interminable wait. It's my first go at owning one of their books, and it hasn't disappointed. Articles about each team along with player statistis and comments for every player that might sniff the majors this year. In addition, they have several articles discussing performance analysis in baseball, as well as an article on the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.

The guys (and girl) who put this book together, along with the BP website, are very good at what they do and very knowledgeable about their subject. For the bargain basement price of $12.21, it's hard to imagine getting more infor for your dollar. It's interesting for both fantasy baseball players and fans who just want to know more. Of particular interest is their PECOTA projection system that takes all of their combined knowledge and uses it to project performance for every player by comparing him to his previous season and previous seasons of players similar to the one in question. This helps eliminate the sample-size problem prevalent in baseball analysis.

If you're at all interested in the game and its players, you'd be wise to pick up a copy of this great book. Then you'll know who the September callups are months ahead of your friends.