Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game

Casey Award Winner for Best Baseball Book of the Year: “Deep knowledge and punchy prose . . . a treat for dedicated fans.” —Publishers Weekly

On September 8, 2017, the Oakland A’s faced off against the Houston Astros in a game that would signal the passing of the Moneyball mantle. Though it was only one regular-season game, the match-up demonstrated how Major League Baseball had changed since the early days of Athletics general manager Billy Beane and the publication of Michael Lewis’ classic book. In Power Ball, former ESPN columnist and analytics pioneer Rob Neyer dramatically recreates this action-packed game to reveal those myriad changes.

Over the past twenty years, power and analytics have taken over the game, driving carefully calibrated teams like the Astros to victory. Seemingly every pitcher now throws mid-90s heat and studiously compares their mechanics against the ideal. Every batter in the lineup can crack homers and knows their launch angles. Teams are relying on unorthodox strategies, including using power-losing—purposely tanking a few seasons to get the best players in the draft.

As he chronicles each inning and the unfolding drama as these two teams continually trade the lead right down to the bottom of the ninth, Neyer considers the players and managers, the front office machinations, the role of sabermetrics, and the current thinking about what it takes to build a great team, to answer the most pressing questions fans have about the sport today.

“The scope of this book ranges . . . engagingly, from the potential impact of climate change on the game and the influence of social media on players, to the evolving fashions of player uniforms and hair styles . . . [The] prose is sharp and colorful and based on a deep understanding of the game.” — The Wall Street Journal

“Pure baseball brain candy.” —Dirk Hayhurst, author of The Bullpen Gospels

“Captures the humor and humanity in the game, as well as what makes the revelry and rivalry of baseball so special.” —Library Journal

© 2023 Harper (Ebook): 9780062853639

Release date

Ebook: 21 November 2023