‘Dangerous Danny Gardella’ by Robert Elias wins 2026 SABR Seymour Medal

Dangerous Danny Gardella: Baseball’s Neglected Trailblazer for Today’s Millionaire Athletes, written by Robert Elias and published by Rowman and Littlefield, is the winner of the 2026 Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal, which honors the best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year.

Gerlach will receive his award during the 33rd annual NINE Spring Training Conference on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Tempe, Arizona. To learn more about the NINE conference, visit nineconference.com.

The Seymour Medal Selection Committee of R.J. Lesch (chair), Steve Gietschier, and Donna L. Halper released the following statement:

Robert Elias’s book combines superb research and a readable presentation. He puts Danny Gardella’s story into a vivid, lively historical context, where labor and management battle over the ballfield as in the rest of American life. Gardella emerges as a talented, remarkable man who navigates multiple challenges and survives.

The finalists for the 2026 Seymour Medal were:

• Touching Home: Baseball and the Liberal-Republican Tradition in America, by Mary Craig (University of Missouri Press)
• Opening the Door for Jackie: The Untold Story of Baseball’s Integration, by Keith Evan Crook (McFarland & Co.)

The Seymour Medal, named in honor of Dr. Harold Seymour and Mrs. Dorothy (Seymour) Mills, was first awarded by SABR in 1996. To be considered for the medal, a work must be the product of original research or analysis. The winning book shall significantly advance our knowledge of baseball and shall be characterized by understanding, factual accuracy, profound insight and distinguished writing.

To see a list of previous Seymour Medal winners, click here.