Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups - (Paperback)

About the Book

Looking at every position on every major-league team, the ESPN.com baseball columnist presents a series of lineups for each franchise and explores the careers of players both famous and obscure. 25 photos.

Book Synopsis

You love to argue about the game and its players, delving into baseball history and lore in search of support for your points of view. You'll find plenty of food for thought -- and argument! -- in Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups.
- All-time Red Sox starting pitcher -- Pedro or the Rocket?
- Gold Glovers -- who looked like one, who was one, and who ought to have been one?
- Lopsided trades that'll sting forever, and phenoms who seemed so real
- Classic nicknames -- from "Charlie Hustle" to "Big Hurt" to "The Mad Hungarian"
Neyer presents a series of lineups for each franchise -- from the All-Time and the All-Rookie to the All-Bust and the Traded Away. In notes, sidebars, and essays, he explores the careers of players both famous and obscure. The book includes information on all thirty current teams, as well as a special section covering legendary clubs like the Brooklyn Dodgers and Washington Senators. Neyer's Big Book is an unparalleled reference for settling the debates that arise every day in the lives of baseball fans.

Review Quotes

"Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups is about baseball history, but Neyer's brand of cutting-edge analysis and objective evaluation is influencing baseball today." - Billy Beane

"Mantle or DiMaggio? Spahn or Maddux? Terry or McCovey? Don't guess -- read Neyer's book and learn the answers. In these pages, it's production (not nostalgia) that matters, and the result is a cogent parsing of baseball's all-time greats (and worsts)." - Joshua Prager, The Wall Street Journal

"Rob Neyer is one of those writers who can make his subject more interesting than anyone ever imagined it could be. He has written a delightful book for ardent baseball fans, but even people with a casual interest in baseball will find something to think about here." - Michael Lewis, author of Liar's Poker and Moneyball

"Rob Neyer is the best of the new generation of sportswriters. He knows baseball history like a child knows his piggy bank. He knows how to pick it up and shake it and make what he needs fall out." - Bill James

"You will argue with some of Rob's picks, and you will provoke many an argument with your baseball friends, but you will not be able to put this thought-provoking book down." - Jon Miller, ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball

About the Author

Rob Neyer has written about baseball for ESPN.com since 1996 and appears regularly on ESPNews. He has written four baseball books, including The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers (with Bill James) and Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Lineups. His website, RobNeyer.com, contains additional material related to these and his other books.