Full reviews
Alex Remington, Yahoo's baseball blog, Big League Stew:
This is one of the best baseball books I've read in a long time, a serious effort by a good writer with a love of history and stats and a fascinating subject that hasn't been studied much.
James Bailey, at Baseball America:
"Evaluating Baseball's Managers" can be enjoyed whole or in smaller increments. It deserves a spot alongside [Bill] James' book in the small "managers" section of your baseball library.
Howard Megdal, author of The Baseball Talmud, writes at the New York Baseball Digest:
The book serves a dual purpose- it provides fascinating content and insight into MLB’s managers, but also serves as a definitive reference for them.
You can’t open this book without learning new information about a group that has, to an extent far beyond that of pitchers and hitters, been subject to mere speculation in the realm of evaluation. A must-read- it definitely helped me get through the winter of no-baseball discontent.
Mini-reviews
Mets blog Amazin' Avenue declares:
If the Mets chapters are any indication of what we can expect from the rest of the book, Evaluating Baseball's Managers figures to be treasure. I certainly recommend it to any baseball fan with a fondness for history or any affinity for thinking about the game in new ways. Other than Bill James's book on managers—difficult to find these days—there's really nothing else like it out there.
Washington blog The Nationals Review:
There are insights like this throughout the book. What I like about it most is that it is more than just a layout of the stats and then an explanation of said stats. Jaffe gives a clear evaluation of each manager, and then lays out a case for his conclusion. And while he makes his case, he gives the readers stories about the subject, without being overly poetic or getting too sappy. I find the book very interesting
Braves Buzz blog:
The book is a must-read. From just reading the excerpts [a group of 12 Braves managers I sent him] I can tell you will come away with a greater understanding of the managers of the past as well as discovering newer ways to look at and evaluate managers. I'm looking forward to reading it entirely.
SoDo MoJo, a Mariners blog, really likes my book. Money quote:
The thing that impressed me most while reading this, was the research. The author, Chris Jaffe, clearly put in an extreme amount of work and time into finding so many obscure facts for this book. The section I read was only 9 pages long, but I was still amazed by the sheer amount of info that I was able to find. It’s also extremely well written, and is very insightful as to how successful managers have found success.
Cards blog C70 at the bat:
There's not been a lot of work on managers and how they affect the game, but Jaffe's work goes a long way in that regard.
Inside Dodger Baseball:
It’s good stuff. . . . It’s a very detailed view about what makes managers successful (or unsuccessful for that matter). If you like baseball history, order this book.
Mets blog Ed Kranepool Society (two quotes from this one):
In his book “Evaluating Baseball’s Managers” (MacFarland) Chris Jaffe writes the ultimate book on the effect of baseball managers on their team’s success and failure
After reading the excerpt on the Mets managers, I look forward to picking up a copy of Evaluating Baseball Mangers
Orioles blogger Dempsey's Army:
I would consider this book an essential reference for the amateur (or professional) baseball historian.
Giants blog Triples Alley:
Jaffe’s coverage of managers is an ideal blend of statistics and history. You don’t need to be a numbers cruncher to understand or to enjoy the relevance of the statistics Jaffe provides in the book. He provides a thorough depiction of each manager—not only giving a description of their character, but the reputations that they gained throughout the course of their career. And he does a fantastic job at providing statistical evidence to back his claims.
Toronto blog Out of Left Field gives me multiple quotes to pick from. Here are two:
Thanks to Chris Jaffe, you might never look at the men in the dugout the same way.
And the other one:
Good sportswriting should increase understanding or stimulate thought. Evaluating Baseball's Managers hits it out of the park on each count.
Crawfish Boxes, an Astros blog:
What Jaffe does with all these guys is highlight why they were good or why they weren't successful. He does an excellent job of it, providing stats to back it up in each manager's capsule, but also backing it up with solid analysis. Bullpen usage, hitting for power, walks, and more are shown as trends for each manager as Jaffe does a good job of describing what kind of team each guy oversaw. It's exactly what history buffs would want and provides the kind of source material that analysts will be using for years.
Pirates blog Hyzdu Headquarters declares:
[T]his book will appease the history folks, the stat heads, and anyone looking for arguments on the history of baseball.
Ghost Runner on First, a Blue Jay blog, says:
[I]t is simply a must-read for any self respecting baseball nerd.
Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts says:
The big test for me these days on anything related to the Dodgers is whether I learn something and whether I'm entertained in the process, and Jaffe succeeds in both.
White Sox Examiner:
Jaffe's Evaluating Baseball Managers is well-researched and well-written.
Braves blog Capital Avenue Club:
I would strongly encourage everyone to purchase a copy. I’ve pre-ordered mine and from what I’ve read among the excerpts, I can’t wait to read the whole thing.
Giants blog Give 'em Some Stank Eye:
The work going on at THT is some of the most interesting (and lucid) modern baseball analysis you'll see, and Jaffe's book appears to be a solid extension of that work. It's already on my Christmas list
From Friar Forecast, a Padres blog:
I was highly impressed with the quality of analysis conducted by Jaffe. His writing is clear, and to the point. Although the book is based on stats, I never felt the writing was dense. Jaffe does not just plop statistics onto the reader. Instead he uses the stats to tell a story about each manager he profiles.
Goat Riders of the Apocalypse raved about it, stating at the outset that:
Chris Jaffe’s "Evaluating Baseball's Managers, 1876-2008" will do for big league managers what “Bill James’ Baseball Handbook” has done for big league players.
The first went up December 4 at Viva El Birdos. Dan at V.E.B. says the book is: "the first satisfying answer I've yet seen to one of the most frustrating questions left in our understanding of baseball" (namely the study of managers).
Know of one I haven't put up here? Feel free to send me an e-mail to tell me about it.
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