Every baseball fan knows that Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols are among the best to ever play the game. But how do their high-priced contracts impact their teams’ abilities to compete for a World Series title? Which managers and executives are best at getting the most out of their roster, year-in and year-out? And how does sabremetrics play into all of this? In this book, veteran ESPN columnist Jayson Stark explores these questions and many more. Supplemented with insightful commentary from countless baseball insiders, it gives baseball fans a rare, fascinating glimpse into the why behind the game’s winners and losers.Jayson Starkhas been a senior baseball writer for ESPN.com since 2000. His regular contributions include the newsy “Rumblings and Grumblings” column and his tilted look inside baseball’s numbers and quirks, “The Useless Information Department.” He was twice named Pennsylvania’s sportswriter of the year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He previously authoredThe Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball HistoryandWorth the Wait: Tales of the Phillies 2008 Championship Season. He lives in Newtown, Pennsylvania.Tim Kurkjianis a Major League Baseball analyst on ESPN'sBaseball TonightandSportsCenter. He is also a contributor toESPN the Magazineand ESPN.com. He lives in Maryland.
Jayson Stark is one of the nation’s most visible, respected baseball analysts, regularly appearing on ESPN television and radio and writing for ESPN.com