Stats
Inc.'s Major League Handbook 2001 (396 pages, paperbound,
$19.95) gives you a year-by-year look at hundreds of major leaguers,
plus a summary of their lifetime stats.
For pitchers
for example, you'll be able to see number of innings pitched each
year; saves; complete games; earned runs allowed; homers allowed;
ERA average and of course, wins and losses.
How many homers
a batter hit; how many times has he struck out or walked; has
his batting average gone up or down? The Handbook has it.
For those
who believe defense is important, the book has 2000 Fielding Statistics
by position for the regulars and the subs.
What pitchers
hold runners or best and which do runners steal off easiest? This
book lists those numbers.
Ballparks
get ample attention as well. The distances to the fences and power
alleys are there; stadium surfaces are listed; and there's a look
at last season or a three-year summary for each ballpark in regard
to homers hit; runs scored by home and away teams.
There is a
special index in the book rating ballparks for Total Number of
Runs per game-if you're a Totals (Over-Under) bettor, this would
be helpful material. There's a nice section on which batters perform
best lifetime against lefties or righties, including batting average,
on base percentage and slugging percentage.
Anyone interested
in Manager Tendencies will find help here. Who tinkers with their
lineups a lot? Who changes pitchers at a whim?
This book
is an excellent resource for Fantasy League players. Sections
of the book deal with batter and pitcher projections for the 2001
season. The respected Bill James, who seems to have input into
all Stats Inc.'s books does a solid job of explaining why certain
players are on their way up or down career-wise and there are
statistical projects and predictions for hundreds of established
players which might help you choose or avoid certain players in
your own fantasy league in late March.
Any book
mentioned in this review is available from Gambler's Book Shop,
630 South 11th St., Las Vegas, NV 89101. Call 1-800-522-1777 from
9 to 5 Pacific Time to order. Order also via the website at www.gamblersbook.com,
or view the store's 80-page catalog of books, computer software
and videos, listing 1,000 books in 30 different areas of gambling.
Visit the store when in Las Vegas, located two miles from Downtown,
the same distance from where the Strip begins, a black west of
Maryland Parkway just off Charleston Boulevard.