Each year, the baseball handbook that bears the name of the father of sabermetrics, Bill James, has a wealth of baseball information that comes out just at the right time, the beginning of the offseason, a worthy tome to peruse all winter.
In addition to career statistics for every active major-league player, the book has articles by James and others on various baseball topics, including one by James on current trends in the game, including “launch angle” and the newest fad, bullpenning.
The Bill James Handbook also includes the annual Fielding Bible Awards. For the third straight year, Javier Baez is the winner of the “multi-position” award, something Rawlings should consider giving as part of its Gold Glove Awards.