The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches

by Bill James

Pitchers, the pitches they throw, and how they throw them -- these days it's the stuff of constant scrutiny, but there's never been anything like a comprehensive source for such information. That's what preeminent baseball analyst Bill James and ESPN.com baseball columnist Rob Neyer realized over lunch more than a dozen years ago. Since then, they've been compiling the centerpiece of this book, the "Pitcher Census," which lists specific information for nearly two thousand pitchers, ranging throughout the history of professional baseball. The Guide also

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Reference

496 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2004

About the author

George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton, Kansas) is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. His approach, which he termed sabermetrics in reference to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), scientifically analyzes and studies baseball, often through the use of statistical data, in an attempt to determine why teams win and lose. His Baseball Abstract books in the 1980s are the modern predecessor to websites using sabermetrics such as Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Primer (now Baseball Think Factory).

In 2006, Time named him in the Time 100 as one of the most influential people in the world. He is currently a Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox. In 2010, Bill James was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_James

Reviews

[Evan S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was truly fascinating. I grew up hearing my dad mythologize about the pitchers of his youth (the 40s, 50s, and 60s) ... and the stories he had heard about the pitchers in the earlier years. So my favorite aspect of this book were the anecdotes and biographies of the lesser known pitchers, who were prominent - even lauded - in their own day, but have been more or less relegated to footnote status by statisticians and historians now.

Both Neyer and James are good writers with strong ability to communicate the human elements (and I really enjoyed when they had direct interplay on a subject!), but my least favorite aspect of the book was when it lapsed into raw statistics, Sabermetrics, or coded math. Not my forte, although I'm sure others will really enjoy those parts.

I really learned a lot of about the art and craft of pitching, as well as how difficult it is to describe pitching when the terminology itself has changed so dramatically over the years. Great read for baseball fans, and fantastic read for baseball nerds.

[Rodger Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that likely would not be published today, at least not in this form. The longest section of the book is an encyclopedia of baseball pitchers -- mostly short entries about men that pitched in major league baseball over the decades. Some of the entries are a bit longer and more informative, but they are not generally biographical and most are very brief. Neyer and James investigated the pitches all these men threw, noted changes in their repertoire over time, and included a few basic statistics (win-loss record, saves, and ERA). Any baseball fan can conduct a quick search of the internet and find much more complete statistical information about most of these players, so the value-added is the documentation of the pitching arsenals. The entries do not include some info that would have been helpful, such as team membership -- and, of course, I would like to have had immediate access while reading to the wide array of baseball stats that people like Neyer and James have studied through their careers.

Indeed, I would like to see the Neyer/James historic data added to a more complete online database. Of course, in the Statcast era, such information is available for contemporary pitchers.

The encyclopedia section helpfully includes players from the Negro Leagues and a few "fun" entries focus on famous fictional hurlers like Sidd Finch, Gil Gamesh, and Henry Wiggen. The essays before the encyclopedia look at the historical development of particular pitches and list some of the alleged best at throwing these pitches. After the encyclopedia section, James included a (flawed) study about pitcher usage and health that helpfully comes with a follow-up critique by other baseball researchers.

I should have read this book nearly 20 years ago when it was published. It has been on my shelf through most of that time.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with much of James' writing, I would love to see an updated version of this book. But as it is, this is probably the most exhaustive study of pitchers and pitching ever compiled, circa 2003. This should make for a dry read, but Neyer and James manage to make this very read-friendly and accessible.

[Keith Blackman]

Neyer and James research which pitches were thrown by all pitchers of consequence

[Chris Witt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it depends what you're in this for.
For those whose hobbies include replaying past baseball seasons and want to picture what a guy threw back in the day, or those who are into pitching history... you may enjoy this.
If you are into it for the essays, I suspect you will be somewhat disappointed. They aren't all that solid and some of the methodologies are way out there and lacking coherence. Which is a shame. I was rooting for them
The book was published a while ago - around 2003 from what I could tell based on essays that proclaimed Mark Prior as being invincible (damn you, Marcus Giles!) and it would be nice to someday get an updated edition.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Bill James and Rob Neyer, and with this book I was expecting something more along the lines of the Historical Abstract. There is some good essays here, but the bulk of the book is for reference purposes only and you simply can't sit down and read this cover-to-cover (like you can the 1000-page Abstract). "What kind of pitch did throw?" If you want to know, this is the book for you.

[Big League Manager · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the product of amazing research. A reference book listing the types of pitches thrown by nearly every major league pitcher. Amazing! Not of general interest, but if you want to know, for example, what pitches Art Nehf or Phil Marchildon or Rick Sutcliffe threw then this book is for you.

[Brenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to know what type of pitches Sad Sam Jones in 1914 threw, then this is the book for you.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of pitchers and pitching throughout major-league history. Could have used more James, less Neyer, as the former is much the superior writer.

[Joe Dexter]

This is a great historical view of pitching. A must for any baseball fan that loves the art of pitching.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A meticulously researched book, detailing the pitch selection of just about every major league pitcher in history. A great reference book, but a tough one to read cover-to-cover.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a wonderful reference book, but it's more Neyer than James, if you catch my drift.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference, but not the best read.