The Baseball Economist by J.C. Bradbury
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The Baseball Economist by J.C. Bradbury
Bibliographic Citation
Bradbury, J. C. (2008). The baseball economist: The real game exposed (2008th Ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Group.
Introduction
Bradbury’s book, titled ‘the basketball economist: The real game exposed,’ has been chosen for this review. He tackles a paramount concept, which he calls ‘saber-metrics.’ He defines this concept as the hunt for an unbiased understanding of baseball. This term also utilizes traditional, statistics, and mathematical approaches to comprehend baseball. He likewise applies a broad range of economic ideas, concepts, and principles to baseball. For him, the study of baseball entails statistical and analytical procedures to understand and predict human actions and demeanor. He also argues that economics decisions come into play in the arena of baseball, mainly in making off-the-field choices. While most of the issues that happen in baseball might be interrelated, he argues that they help to create a successful baseball team. Bradbury equally says that his blog helped him to curve his curiosity in baseball. He also explains that through his blog, he has managed to put this book together. The majority of the ideas in his book’s chapters have reflected the minds of his blog readers. In other words, he argues that his readers played a large part in shaping his thoughts. Bradbury further presents that what had started as answering a few questions from his readers about baseball slowly turned into an obsession. While he says that the empirical analysis of baseball has hooked him, the field is fantastic, full of unresolved issues, and one that Bradbury finds most intriguing. Bradbury’s affection for baseball shows that for one to become, there is a need to bond with other followers and build an emotional state of their love. In turn, as Bradbury illustrates, such a bond would create the level of trust required to venture in the right direction. It is well known that without trust, it becomes unattainable to achieve success in today’s ever-changing and volatile baseball environment. By and large, Bradbury provides an in-depth look at the baseball make-up and the proficiency of effective teams. His book is written for baseball fans, analysts, players, and enthusiasts. Grounded in the most current inquiry in the field of baseball, he offers his readers relevant insights from a variety of areas such as statistics as well as social sciences. Hence, Bradbury’s book is appropriate for different groups of people, mainly those with interest in baseball, to gain a better understanding of how the field works.
Book Summary
In his book, Bradbury focuses mainly on how baseball has become more of a business than a game itself. He carries out several economic analyses to prove his case. The report is not only enlightening but also exciting to study. The book has four major parts. In the first part, the author seeks to answer several questions purely related to baseball on the field including, why the left-handed catchers are almost extinct, can players protect each other during the game from being hit, and whether hits occur by accident or not. In the question of left-handed catchers, the author establishes that the victims face discrimination against, and they do not take part as catchers in the baseball game. Whether players remain protected from each other, the author argues that participants negligently cause harm to each other, the economic model of crime can apply. It would also help to reduce such incidences of harming each other. The second part is titled “Almost off the field.” It mainly emphasizes on Leo, a pitching instructor whose brave success left many undecided on whether he deserved credit on his incredible work. His success emerged from an earlier age, an off-day program for starters. It also addresses issues such as why teams from big cities tend to win more than their counterparts from small towns. He goes ahead to compare different players from different groups across the era.
Further, he digs into steroids and its impact on baseball. He finds out that most players prefer the use of steroids to boost their performance. However, they are limited by the strict baseball rules that advocate against the use of the steroid. Stringent measures have been put in place to restrict the use of this drug, including a ban of players found to be using steroids and also huge fines. Finally, Bradbury forecasts on which team will win in the future between Cleveland Indians and Florida marlin, where he argues that for a team to win, it must have not only good players but also have efficient management. The third part is known as “Way off the field.” This part’s chapters talk about measuring the worth of players. It involves evaluating the talent of each player, comparing the stat-heads with the native scouts in addition to the significance of modernization in increasing the chances of a team winning. The innovation of the team must be continuous to increase chances of winning.
The fourth and last part is titled “What Field.” It exclusively talks about Major League Baseball (MLB) and its market arrangement. However, this part tackles little concerning the methodology of the baseball game. Further, ‘What Field” uses economic concepts such as incentives and decision making to make conclusions regarding the welfare costs of the MLB, which enjoys monopoly power. In the first three parts, Bradbury uses both economic reasoning and econometrics to answer the different questions raised. Moreover, in the first three parts, chapters are independent of each other and do not form parts of the main argument, but in the fourth part, each section has its case.
Book Critique
The central ideas contained in Bradbury’s book closely relate to baseball and related concepts in this field. Based on empirical research, Bradbury’s writing is exciting and generally well-drafted. On this note, this book is fundamentally suitable for anyone with a keen interest in issues regarding competitive balance and the valuation of sporting capacity. While it is not mean for academic audiences and lacks critical details in empirical inquiry, it is appropriate for people interested in understanding sporting dynamics. Moreover, while the style that Bradbury has used in this book might leave academicians with several questions, a formal analysis as this is great in conveying the message to its intended audience. Giving more than mere numbers, Bradbury does a great job in offering vivacious insights into his economics understanding and its application to the area of baseball. Here, he identifies and exposes the supremacy of compromises, incentives, as well as a rivalry. Besides, using his approach, he strikingly dichotomizes baseball into several topics. He has proven that statistics alone can fail to offer enough in knowing specific topics or things. In general, the author gives his readers a stimulating, articulate, and outstanding read. While he has addressed enthusiasts and players in a seemingly great way, he has also taken other groups such as coaches at every level. Also, individuals wishing to know what took place in the field of baseball have neither been left behind.
Anyone reading this book would also admit that the author has attracted attention from various areas, and the reasons for this appeal remain clear. Every year, season, and period, this market serves several fans, teams, players, and even decision-makers. Bradbury’s book equally pledges to treat topics that sharpen fans’ curiosity, including the dearth of left-handed catchers. He also describes the association between hit hitters and the titled batsmen rule using lucid, yet plausible concepts that drive points home. Another topic that he handles with such clarity is the relative overlooks of large and small-market franchises in baseball. Similarly, he likewise describes the significance of players and their economic values. With the topic of steroids, he also takes his writes in a paramount expose of the issues surrounding it as he delves further on what it involves and how it affects players in this arena. For instance, he poses a concern if players should use steroids to boost their performance or not. For him, it is a pertinent subject that demonstrates a few choices that demand the use of tradeoffs. While he does not answer this question, he does leave it to those involved in baseball to make. Nevertheless, his analysis shows vital revelations. For example, he finds out that the vigor of the modern game entails a lot. He argues that many people claim that today’s games suffer censure due to the use of steroids.
Even though Bradbury’s empirical analysis is conducted using the information on baseball players and their teams, the results he has established may apply to several other areas, mainly in environments with joint production. The examples of computing, in addition to the entertainment industries, confirm intuition. Because statistics allow people to summarize and understand human behavior and actions, Bradbury has used statistics in ways that enhance his reader’s knowledge and understanding. Apart from the measures of variability he describes, he manages to facilitate his audiences’ comprehension by using graphical representations. As such, one would argue that what makes his analysis more impressive is his use of statistics. In this light, Bradbury has fully and successfully proven the assertions that he makes in his book.
Unfortunately, Bradbury’s book has managed to kick a few balls out of the park. In other words, his analysis is limited in several ways. While he has presented some aspects of the baseball issues, he has left out the vast majority of the issues that remain central in this industry. In essence, his book suffers from what one would refer to as ‘mediocre writing.’ It is also clear that most of his chapters are uneven, mainly in terms of both subject and evaluation. Moreover, it is also evident that Bradbury’s claim to mix economics principles and baseball information is sparsely tackled and constitutes what might be known as a ‘hit-or-miss’ suggestion. Besides, his 70-page appendix is primarily ridiculous. Here, he lists player values for each of the MLB position, which shows his limited knowledge in statistics. In most cases, he has also failed to support the many personal opinions and conjectures he makes. He has also failed to support his claims and evidence throughout his book. For instance, his book does not contain a reference list to acknowledge and credit the information of other people he has used in his analysis. In his last three chapters, he has also committed numerous errors. Equally, most of his book’s stand-alone chapters raise elbows among the intelligent fans because they are poorly designed as well as built.
Bradbury’s study has also failed to perform robustness checks. Notably, in attempts to confirm the robustness of a research’s results, the examiner must do a series of sensitivity tests. However, in this book, Bradbury has not undertaken these tests or explained how he tested the strength of his results. Robustness is mainly essential for several reasons. For instance, how teams respond to different situations might vary over time. In the same way, the manner players react to various circumstances could also change with time. Therefore, testing how most of these relationships change and interrelate is vital in measuring the success or failure of a given team.
Recommendations
While Bradbury’s book suffers several limitations as described above, this book is highly entertaining and insightful. For baseball fans, players, coaches, commentators, and enthusiasts, the book is of considerable significance because it highlights the level of dynamism in this sector. In a clear and comprehensible manner, the author has made his findings as simple as possible for different readers and consumers. In other words, even a layperson can understand Bradbury’s statistics and conclusions. For this reason, this book is particularly useful and relevant in understanding baseball and its related concepts. However, many academicians and scholars may find Bradbury’s book unattractive for several reasons. Firstly, Bradbury has failed to cited and give credit to many of the assertions he makes. Secondly, Bradbury’s book is poorly designed and organized. Thirdly, Bradbury has only handled a handful of issues in baseball, leaving out a plethora of critical concern that requires urgent redress. In this sense, Bradbury’s book might be inappropriate for academic and scholarly use, and therefore, not recommendable.
References
Bradbury, J. C. (2008). The baseball economist: The real game exposed (2008th Ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Group.