The MVP Machine: How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players

It's not that I don't enjoy the information that Sabermetrics provides because it has changed baseball, sometimes for the better. But the MVP Machine puts the future of baseball back into the hands of the players and the coaches instead of just the Wonks. This book will capture the interest of anyone who loves the game with insights into the way that player development has finally obtained the status it deserves within MLB, with a plethora of anecdotes about how many of today's elite players achieved their status via talent development programs that will change careers and the game going forward. This book isn't about debunking Sabermetrics, it's about how the best teams are using Player Development programs to help players become better. A wonderful read!

For those of you who are wondering if this book is worth your hard earned money - yes it is. After reading this book you will not only be ahead of the curve (no pun intended) at the water cooler at work but you will be prepared to answer the latest question by Jeff Luhnow which is,"what is the next best thing in baseball?"If you're still reading, I'd like to say as a person who has watched, played and studied baseball since the 1972 World Series, this book not only explains the latest in player development but is written in an engaging manner by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik. I was not intimidated by its size or use of graphic organizers that most Sabermetricians dream about. Since I do not subscribe to the Brian Kenny view of baseball as it currently exists I came to this book having:a. Enjoyed Ben's first book on baseball;b. Having read Moneyball for the first time after avoiding it due to the overhype it was given by all of baseball "experts".Ben and Travis hit it out of ball park by mixing personal stories with the science of player development. Their writing is clear and entertaining and is easy to follow. I found it so engaging that I finished the book in two days despite a busy life style. My only peeve in terms of writing style is that in some instances Ben or Travis will refer to the other by first name when discussing a vignette because they co-wrote book and want to tell the story as if the two them were sitting at your kitchen table telling you what they knew. A small peeve on my part.As a historian of the game, I was glad they gave Branch Rickey his due as he truly brought player development to the game of baseball. If Rickey were alive today there is no doubt in my mind he'd be employing the technology outlined in this book.As a fan of the a Orioles I would have liked to seen credit given to Paul Richards, Jim McLaughlin and George Bamberger for their roles developing skilled baseball players but I understand that Ben and Travis wanted to keep the book in the present in order to not make the book run more than the 300 plus pages they wrote.

Lindbergh and Sawchik provide a really interesting look at the science behind player development in baseball.Imagine being able to throw a slider, look at images showing exactly how it came off your fingers, and measure its exact break. Then move your finger 1/1000th of an inch, check the break, and repeat the process until you've got just the movement you're looking for.Imagine being able to hit a pitch from a pitching machine, and know exactly where and how it hit your bat. Imagine being able to adjust your swing ever so slightly to get more loft and spin on your fly balls. It's not science fiction - it's happening.Data is everywhere. Teams can use it to help their players develop, and players can also use it to help themselves. It's changing teams' relationships with their players, and players' dependence on their teams for help with their development. It's also changing teams' approaches to how they scout and sign players, and impacting how (and which) teams are able to locate and develop the best players.If Moneyball was really about exploiting unappreciated skills that were already there, then The MVP Machine is about exploiting undeveloped talents that are hiding under the surface. If Moneyball was based on the assumption that talent was fixed and development didn't matter, than The MVP Machine challenges that assumption.The players and teams that can adjust to this new paradigm will be the ones who win... until the next big thing comes along, anyway.

From Branch Rickey to the KC Royals; and now from Moneyball to the MVP Machine. Innovation is fueled, not by big money teams, athletically-gifted players and high profile championship coaches from the big money teams, but by those on the outside --- marginally talented players with a great desire to succeed, an intelligence to question old and conventional ways, an openness to new ideas, and a willingness to take risks, dismiss the old ways, and create new ones that worked; and the small-time, unknown coaches who work countless, poorly compensated hours with them on their knowledge quest to help them find their way. Some names you will recognize --- Trevor Bauer and Justin Turner --- who have succeeded in ways and with coaches far from what conventional baseball had to offer. And some you won't --- Kyle Boddy and Doug Latta --- the coaches who helped Bauer and Turner get there. A very good read with some great stories of success for players who otherwise would never have measured up under old conventional methods of player development.

The book talked about current things some All Stars are doing to improve. It showed technology and old school exercises work for many athletes. Well written and easy to understand. I was happy to have picked it up. Gave it to my son who wants to play college baseball. I don't do that with many books about baseball

This book has exceeded all my expectations. It’s an in depth look into how players are being developed using the latest statistical and technological innovations. I really liked the stories explaining how this has helped current stars. Also Ben’s other book (The Only Rule is It Has To Work) is my favorite book EVER. Check it out!!

This book is amazing. I’m 150 pages into it and I’m hooked.The authors write out the journeys of many players and how they reshaped and retransformed their careers with new insights and new ideas.The book is a combination of stories of how certain players embraced not only the sabermetric revolution, but also the enormous amount of pitch tracking data and hitting data to practice and tweak their approach to improve their performance.Last but not least the book is really well written and it doesn’t feel like you are reading a textbook. Every baseball fan should read this book.

Great book for anyone who likes to be an educated baseball fan.Lindberg and Sawchik pull back the curtain on the next frontier in applied baseball analytics: player development. But rather than just giving the reader a collection of stats, "The MVP Machine" is centred around the stories of a number of big leaguers who have used data to make themselves better players. The writing is clear and informative, and also very engaging.A really great read!

Whether you like the new brand of baseball or not, you will love this book. The authors do an amazing job of detailing how fringe players made themselves into All-Star/MVP type players. Really easy to read. You can take a lot of stuff and translate it into coaching if need be too.

This was an outstanding book, start to finish. I'd recommend it to any baseball fan especially if you're at all interested in how the technology and data are changing how players, coaches, and teams are approaching the game.