Review by Booklist Review
Longtime sports columnist Posnanski, who now writes for TheAthletic.com, offers manna for baseball geeks with his selection of the 100 all-time greatest baseball players, melding the sabermetrics chops of a Bill James with the eloquence and droll humor of a Roger Angell. Fans will disagree, feverishly, with his choices--Carlos Beltran (98), for example, was one of the principals behind the Astros team that cheated its way to the 2017 World Series title--but he appears to relish it. Yet Posnanski also nobly, and rightly, casts a wide net, embracing Japanese legends Ichiro Suzuki (100) and Sadaharu Oh (85), and, more important, long-neglected Negro leagues players, such as Oscar Charleston (5). "He was you before you," the legendary Buck O'Neill told Willie Mays (1), who knew him and apparently didn't disagree. The author also includes current players, including Clayton Kershaw (78), Miguel Cabrera (77), Mike Trout (27), and Albert Pujols (23). Most important, these selections will bring to the mind's eye of any baseball fan a vision of how singularly great each of these athletes have played--or, in the case of the old-timers, might have played--the game. Recommended for the strong baseball collection.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sportswriter Posnanski (The Soul of Baseball) knocks it out of the park with this fascinating deep dive into the careers of those he considers baseball's 100 greatest players. By including players from every era, as well as athletes only allowed to compete in the Negro League, Posnanski ably presents the sport's sweeping history through captivating character studies. As his introduction notes, the order of the players he includes is not a ranking; instead, he links player portraits to a significant number, as in using 56 for Joe DiMaggio, owner of the record-setting 56-consecutive-game hitting streak. Posnanski isn't afraid to court controversy, even going to bat for some players--including pitchers Max Scherzer and Curt Schilling--who aren't yet in baseball's Hall of Fame. The best sections will surprise even devoted followers of the sport, such as his profile of the obscure Bullet Rogan, a Negro Leaguer who played in the 1920s and whom Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel called "the best all-around player in the world." Detailed statistical analysis is balanced by moving personal stories, as with Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk, whose best was never good enough for his demanding father. Sure to inspire heated debate, this is a remarkable achievement. Agent: David Vigliano, Vigliano Assoc. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
A rich, sweeping history of American baseball told through profiles of its 100 greatest players; the contents originally appeared on the sports blog The Athletic. In the introduction, Posnanski (The Secret of Golf: The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus) writes that this volume was sparked by his love of baseball, which originated with his mother; she wasn't herself a baseball fan but helped a nine-year-old Posnanski collect and organize a complete set of 1976 Topps baseball cards. The book's 100 profiles include biographical information, career achievements, statistics, and comparisons to other players. To make a truly complete top-100 of American baseball, Posnanski covers a number of players in the Negro Leagues, who for decades couldn't play in the segregated Major Leagues. Posnanski's ranking of players within this volume isn't meant to be definitive; sometimes a player's ranking corresponds to his uniform number, but other times the reasoning is unclear (the author addresses his ranking methods in a later chapter). Posnanski acknowledges that it takes gall to rank the 100 greatest players in history, and that many will disagree with him, but he contends that these disagreements and debates are part of what makes baseball fun. His devotion to the game shines through in his poetic, inspired, and entertaining writing. The volume includes a preface by George F. Will and a glossary of baseball terms. VERDICT This thought-provoking volume is a must-have for baseball fans.--Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Longtime sports journalist Posnanski takes on a project fraught with the possibilities of controversy: ranking the 100 best baseball players of all time. It would steal the author's thunder to reveal his No. 1. However, writing about that player, Posnanski notes, "the greatest baseball player is the one who lifts you higher and makes you feel exactly like you did when you fell in love with this crazy game in the first place." Working backward, his last-but-not-least place is occupied by Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, whose valiant hitting rivaled Pete Rose's, mostly a base at a time. As for Rose, who comes in at No. 60, Posnanski writes, "here's something people don't often say about the young Pete Rose, but it's true: The guy was breathtakingly fast." Thus, in his first pro season, Rose stole 30 bases and hit 30 triples. That he was somewhat of a lout is noted but exaggerated. Posnanski skillfully weaves statistics into the narrative without spilling into geekdom, and he searches baseball history for his candidate pool while combing the records for just the right datum or quote: No. 10 Satchel Paige on No. 15 Josh Gibson: "You look for his weakness, and while you're looking for it he's liable to hit 45 home runs." Several themes emerge, one being racial injustice. As Posnanski notes of "the greatest Negro Leagues players....people tend to talk about them as if there is some doubt about their greatness." There's not, as No. 94, Roy Campanella, among many others, illustrates. He was Sicilian, yes, but also Black, then reason enough to banish him to the minors until finally calling him up in 1948. Another significant theme is the importance of fathers in shaping players, from Mickey Mantle to Cal Ripken and even Rose. Posnanski's account of how the Cy Young Award came about is alone worth the price of admission. Red meat, and mighty tasty at that, for baseball fans with an appreciation for the past and power of the game. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
