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

Move over, Moneyball―this New York Times bestseller examines major league baseball's next cutting-edge revolution: the high-tech quest to build better players. "A convincing, and faith-restoring, case that genuine, unadulterated miracles can happen in baseball."―Washington Post As bestselling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik reveal in the New York Times–bestselling The MVP Machine, the Moneyball era is over. Over twenty years after Michael Lewis brought the Oakland Athletics’ groundbreaking team-building strategies to light, every front office takes a data-driven approach to evaluating players. But instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball’s best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. From the latest trends in player development to the fallout from baseball’s sign-stealing scandal, Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of baseball, teaching, and talent. The MVP Machine not only charts the future of a sport but also offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball. Success stems not from focusing on finished products, but from making the most of untapped potential. Read more