What is a good baseball book

I got lot's of ideas...

But, give me an idea of what type of player you are...pitcher, hitter, infielder, outfieder, catcher, groundskeeper?

Please post your level of ball and what player you are, that way we can get specific for you.

Bullwinkle

ok, sorry about that

i am 15 years old and i play high school ball. I am a pitcher.

pitching101 - I think a good book for pitchers (or anyone else for that matter) is Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence, by Gary Mack. It talks about the need for both physical and mental toughness when you are on the mound. Good luck -- 15 years old is a great time for pitching!

Just for general reading, I really enjoyed "The Pitch that Killed"--about Carl Mays & Ray Chapman.

Nolan Ryan's Pitcher's Bible, Leo Mazzone's Pitch like a Pro, John Bagonzi's The Act of Pitching and Tom House's The Pitching Edge.

pitching,

For general reading - "Fear Strikes Out" by Jimmy Piersall & Al Hirshberg

pitching101,

Buy Ron Polk's Playbook if you really want to know a lot about the game. If you read it and you don't learn a lot, I will personally refund your money.

This offer only good to pitching 101. Just to play it safe!

Stubborn Sam is a good book. I don't usually like books but for some reason I like this one. It is about catcher, I know you are a pitcher but I figured I just throw it out there.

-Kevin

PGSTAFF you have a PM

I'm a catcher- any good books? Thanks.

Got my 15 year old "Ball Four." Figured it was time he read it.

Gotta read "Veeck as in Wreck" - it's one of the best.

I just bought "The Lords of Baseball" which I hear is very good.

Pitching101: here's some ideas....

Tom House Books

The Art of Pitching: Tom Seaver

Also, go to the players only board, you can learn alot there.

Bullwinkle

Roger Kahn's The Head Game:baseball seen from the pitching mound is an interesting look at the mental side of pitchkng.

My son's favorite: The Mental Game of Baseball : A Guide to Peak Performance by H. A. Dorman. Available at Amazon.com for $13.75.

how is

"THE ART OF PITCHING"
by Tom Sever

I believe the best book on pitching is Bob Shaw's book "Pitching." It is out of print, but is available used on-line.

Seaver's book is pretty good. I especially like his emphasis on conditioning.

I have found the Louisville Slugger book and Joe "Spanky" McFarland's books to also be good.

I would stay away from Tom House, Bob Cluck, Randy Johnson, and Nolan Ryan's books. They have good points but also put forth some dangerous ideas.

One of my favorites is "Slider" by Patrick Robinson. The story takes place in the Cape Cod baseball leauge and about a young pitcher going through the league. I enjoyed it and think everyone esle will too. Good luck

"Scouts Honor" about how the Atlanta Braves were built over the past twenty years. Another very entertaining book is "The Bad Guys Won" about the 86 Mets. This book is good for a few laughs and tells some stories that go on behind the scenes and in the clubhouse.

"Minor Players, Major Dreams" by Brett Mandel

An excellent book, I loved it. A book that probably everyone here would find particularly interesting.

synopsis from Amazon:
Former high school ballplayer Brett Mandel yearned to experience a year in the minor leagues, so he convinced the Ogden (Utah) Raptors, about to embark on their maiden season, to let him chronicle that season from the perspective of a uniformed player. They agreed. The resulting saga describes the long bus rides, the bad food, the frustrations, and hopes that are all a part of baseball dreaming with affectionate good humor. The book's true life, though, steps up in the poignancy with which Mandel draws his teammates, young men destined for the most part to fall short of their great desire. As a player, Mandel went 0 for 5 on the year, proving that the pen, long deemed mightier than the sword, can be mightier than the bat, as well.

the act of pitching by dr john bagonzi. great guy informative book. easy to read.if you love pitching

I thought Keith Hernandez' book Just baseball, out of print was a great baseball book. Keith took two MLB games and analized each pitch showing how the game changes as the count changes. Rally kills the "Baseball boring" notion or nothings going on. Very educational.