The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2025
Here are the SABR Bookshelf listings for Spring 2025.
To get your NEW book listed on The SABR Bookshelf, send an e-book file in PDF, EPUB or MOBI format to jpomrenke@sabr.org.
To ensure a listing in The Baseball Index, SABR’s online catalog of baseball research materials at www.baseballindex.org, please make sure a review copy is sent to The Baseball Index, 4025 Beechwood Pl., Riverside, CA 92506.
Bolded names indicates that the author(s) is a SABR member. Click here for a list of publishers found in the SABR Bookshelf, along with their contact information.
In addition, check out new books published by SABR at SABR.org/ebooks.
Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts
Edited by Eric Poulin
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $6.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-960819-34-5
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: SABR Digital Library book with a collection of “found poems” using the words of baseball’s most memorable broadcasters, including Vin Scully, Harry Caray, Red Barber … and Jerry Remy, Dallas Braden, and even Snoop Dogg.
The 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox: Grinders and Gamers
Edited by Eric Conrad, Mark Morowczynski, Bill Nowlin, and Don Zminda
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-960819-36-9
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: SABR Digital Library book on the 20th anniversary of the White Sox’s World Series championship, with biographies of every player and key figures, memorable game recaps, and essays on the team’s season.
From Bytown to the Big Leagues: 150 Years of America’s Pastime in Canada’s Capital, Ottawa Baseball from 1865 to 2025
Edited by Steve Rennie and Bill Nowlin
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-960819-32-1
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: SABR Digital Library book covering baseball in Canada’s capital, from early 19th-century teams to the Ottawa Lynx and Titans in the modern era, with bios of great players from the region and recaps of memorable games.
When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963
Edited by George Pawlush
Publisher: SABR
Retail Price: $9.99 (ebook)
ISBN: 978-1-960819-28-4
Buy It: SABR.org
Summary: SABR Digital Library book with essays and personal stories about the epic transformation the minor leagues underwent from the end of World War II to the onset of America’s space race.
72 Stories: From the Baseball Collection of Geddy Lee
By Geddy Lee
Publisher: HarperCollins
Retail Price: $50.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-0634-5019-6
Buy It: HarperCollins.com
Summary: Rock star and baseball memorabilia collector Geddy Lee shares stories and photographs from his extensive collection.
Justice Batted Last: Ernie Banks, Minnie Miñoso, and the Unheralded Players Who Integrated Chicago’s Major League Teams
By Don Zminda
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Retail Price: $22.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-2520-8849-0
Buy It: press.uillinois.edu
Summary: Contains major profiles of Banks and Miñoso, but also delves into more marginal players including several who never made either big club.
The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City
By Kevin Baker
Publisher: Knopf
Retail Price: $35.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-3754-2183-9
Buy It: penguinrandomhouse.com
Summary: Baseball is a New York game where the first diamond was laid out and where the bunt and curveball were created.
Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America
By Will Bardenwerper
Publisher: Doubleday
Retail Price: $30.00 (hrdcvr)
ISBN: 978-0-3855-4965-3
Buy It: penguinrandomhouse.com
Summary: A memoir exploring small-town baseball through the eyes of a US Army veteran who attended minor league games in his hometown of Batavia, New York.
Movies and the Church of Baseball
By Jonathan Plummer
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $55.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-7655-5
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: The history of Christian religious imagery and symbolism in American baseball cinema.
The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 4th Edition (two volumes)
By Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $99.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-8929-6
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: An indispensable reference work for the minor leaguer researcher or fan, with year-by-year stats and standings as well as records of all types.
Brooklyn Dodgers Transactions, 1890-1957: A History and Analysis
By Lyle Spatz
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9330-9
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: Lists all the Brooklyn Dodgers trades, sales, and other transactions with commentary on the bigger deals.
Cooperstown’s Back Door: A History of Negro Leaguers in the Baseball Hall of Fame
By Paul D. White
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9354-5
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: Chronicles the acceptance of Negro Leaguers into the Hall of Fame, from the first grudging entries to more recent openings.
The Caribbean Series: Latin America’s Annual Baseball Tournament, 1949-2024
By Thomas E. Van Hyning
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $49.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9391-0
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: An encyclopedic summary of Latin American’s annual tournament, including year-by-year recaps with many photographs, statistics, all-star teams, and other data.
A Baseball Book of Days: Thirty-One Moments that Transformed the Game
By Phil Coffin
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9597-6
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: From January 1 to December 31, Coffin selects 31 days or dates that reflect the development of baseball as we know it today.
Baseball’s Two-Way Greats: Pitching/Batting Stars from Ruth and Rogan to Ohtani
By Chris Jensen
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $39.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9622-5
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: The history of more than 130 two-way players from the 19th century to the modern era.
3,000: Baseball’s Elite Clubs for Hits and Strikeouts
By Douglas J. Jordan
Publisher: McFarland & Co.
Retail Price: $35.00 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4766-9628-7
Buy It: McfarlandBooks.com
Summary: Book focusing on the pitchers and hitters who reached the 3,000 strikeout and hit milestones, including the record holders, the near misses, and the difficulties of passing the marks.
Diamond Duels: Baseball’s Greatest Matchups
By John Nogowski
Publisher: Lyons Press
Retail Price: $24.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4930-8482-1
Buy It: GlobePequot.com
Summary: A collection of stories on some of baseball’s most historic one-on-one battles between hitters and pitchers.
Get Your Tokens Ready: The Late 1990s Road to the Subway Series
By Chris Donnelly
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3080-5
Buy It: nebraskapress.unl.edu
Summary: Donnelly adds the third in a series on the New York teams of the late 20th century.
A Giant Among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey
By Chris Haft
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $32.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3624-1
Buy It: nebraskapress.unl.edu
Summary: A biography that focuses on both the baseball experiences and the humanity of Willie McCovey.
1978: Baseball & America in the Disco Era
By David Krell
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-3960-0
Buy It: nebraskapress.unl.edu
Summary: As in his similar books on earlier eras, Krell mixes pop culture history with baseball of the 1970s.
One More for the White Rat: The 1987 St. Louis Cardinals Chase the Pennant
By Doug Feldmann
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $34.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-4140-5
Buy It: nebraskapress.unl.edu
Summary: Feldmann chronicles the 1987 NL pennant race and World Series from interviews with many former Cardinals players.
Baseball Before We Knew It: A Search for the Roots of the Game, Twentieth Anniversary Edition
By David Block
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-4269-3
Buy It: nebraskapress.unl.edu
Summary: Updated edition of Block’s classic book, with new material and a foreword by John Thorn.
Baseball’s First Superstar: The Lost Life of Christy Mathewson
By Alan D. Gaff
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Retail Price: $32.95 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-4962-4327-0
Buy It: nebraskapress.unl.edu
Summary: A new biography of Mathewson with close examination of material from the pitcher’s papers.
A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams
By Jason Cannon
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $35.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8457-8
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: A look back at the careers of two Hall of Famers in the context of their times and the city where they grew up: Mobile, Alabama
Talking Baseball with Major League Stars
By Wayne Stewart
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $32.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8528-5
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: A book featuring over 45 years of interviews with the unique perspectives of players, coaches, and managers, broken down by topic.
All the Way: The Life of Baseball Trailblazer Maybelle Blair
By Kat D. Williams
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $32.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8636-7
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: The first full-length biography of former women’s professional baseball player Maybelle Blair.
Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America
By Jeffrey Orens
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $35.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-5381-8926-9
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: George Wright and Albert Spalding were the first superstars of the game and helped transform baseball into a national pastime.
The God Squad: The Born-Again San Francisco Giants of 1978
By Matt Sieger
Publisher: Prairie Lights Books
Retail Price: $21.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6313-2218-1
Buy It: prairielights.com
Summary: A group of Giants players who were born-again Christians earned praise as the team excelled in 1978 before facing criticism when their fortunes fell.
Leveling the Playing Field: Women Breaking Barriers in Major League Baseball Coaching and Leadership
By Al Lautenslager
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Retail Price: $19.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6369-8545-9
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: The stories of women ascending the ranks of MLB coaching and leadership who are reshaping baseball.
Don Drysdale: Up and In: The Life of a Dodgers Legend
By Mark Whicker
Publisher: Triumph Books
Retail Price: $30.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6372-7574-0
Buy It: TriumphBooks.com
Summary: Drysdale’s Dodgers career, from rookie flamethrower to “dead-too-soon” broadcaster, is complemented by multiple interviews with contemporaries.
Out of the Mouth of Babe: Babe Ruth on Life: Pitching, Hitting, Striking Out, and Coming Back Swinging
By Kelly Bennett
Publisher: Familius
Retail Price: $16.99 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6417-0577-6
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A compilation of over 85 quotes by Babe Ruth and facts about the Great Bambino.
From St. Louis To Cooperstown: Baseball Legends Born and Made In the Gateway City
By Ed Wheatley
Publisher: Reedy Press
Retail Price: $32.50 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-6810-6578-6
Buy It: ReedyPress.com
Summary: The stories of all 55 Hall of Fame inductees who spent time in St. Louis with the Cardinals, Browns, Stars, and other teams.
I Was Born Poor, I Was Born Black, and I Was Born in Mississippi: When You’ve Been Through That You Can Deal with Anything
By Ron Anderson
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $30.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9176-1398-9
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: From the biographer of Boston Red Sox star George “Boomer” Scott comes a deep dive into the early life of the young, Black athlete growing up in Mississippi.
Baseball Like It Oughta Be: How a Shoe Salesman’s Madison Mallards and His Renegade Staff Ignited the Summer-Collegiate Baseball Revolution
By Tom Alesia
Publisher: August Publications
Retail Price: $18.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9385-3288-7
Buy It: AugustPublications.com
Summary: A history of an unlikely summer college baseball team in Wisconsin that became a popular phenomenon.
Death of a Childhood: A Memoir of 1989 and the “Why Not?” Baltimore Orioles
By Ryan Basen
Publisher: The Sager Group
Retail Price: $19.89 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 978-1-9588-6154-7
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: The memoir of a fifth-grade student whose life was being turned upside-down and his affinity for a lovable Orioles team.
Cape Dreams: A Season With the Brewster Whitecaps
By Mark Epstein
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $18.99 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-2186-2024-0
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: The 101-year tradition of the Cape Cod Baseball League and the Brewster Whitecaps.
Baseball Card Heroes: Stories from the Dugout and Beyond
By K.P. Wee
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $19.92 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-3041-9258-3
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: An exploration of 16 players immortalized in iconic Score baseball cards who sparked the author’s interest.
A Brooklyn Guy: The Greatest Brooklyn Dodger You’ve Never Heard Of
By Noel Hynd
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $19.75 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-3048-3179-6
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A biography of the longtime Brooklyn Dodgers catcher who later operated a tavern on Flatbush Avenue.
Baseball’s Unlikely: A Constant
By Scott S. Parker and Rusty Austin
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $89.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-3102-4116-9
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A collection of almost 400 stories and 250 color photos collected over 35 years.
From Randy Johnson to Dallas Braden: No-Hitters Beyond the Box Score
By Kevin Hurd
Publisher: Self-published
Retail Price: $19.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-9902-5941-6
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: A collection of stories about no-hitters focusing on the pitchers and catchers involved.
Old Ontario at Bat: An Unheralded Ancestry
By Bill Humber
Publisher: Centre for Canadian Baseball Research
Retail Price: $29.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: n/a
Buy It: BaseballHallofFame.ca
Summary: Revisiting the early evolution of baseball in Canada, busting myths about the game’s American influence.
El Grandes Ligas de la Patria Grande (The Major Leaguer of the Big Country)
By Edwin R. Pérez
Publisher: Isla Negra Editores
Retail Price: $22.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: n/a
Buy It: librerialaberintopr.com
Summary: A Spanish-language book analyzing the pioneers, baseball families, and history of Latin Americans in the major leagues.
Dangerous Danny Gardella: Baseball’s Neglected Trailblazer for Today’s Millionaire Athletes
By Robert Elias
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Retail Price: $39.00 (hdcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-8818-0475-6
Buy It: Rowman.com
Summary: The first full-life biography of a pioneering player who jumped to the Mexican League and later launched a legal fight against baseball’s reserve clause.
Baseball’s Best (and Worst) Teams: The Top (and Bottom) Clubs Since 1903
By G. Scott Thomas
Publisher: Niawanda Books
Retail Price: $24.95 (sftcvr)
ISBN: 979-8-2186-2156-8
Buy It: Amazon.com
Summary: An analysis and ranking of American and National League teams from every season of the World Series era.
Compiled by Jack Barron.