The only rule is it has to work
Ratings5
Average rating4.6
"It's the ultimate in fantasy baseball: You get to pick the roster, set the lineup, and decide on strategies -- with real players, in a real ballpark, in a real playoff race. That's what baseball analysts Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller got to do when an independent minor-league team in California, the Sonoma Stompers, offered them the chance to run its baseball operations according to the most advanced statistics. Their story in The Only Rule is it Has to Work is unlike any other baseball tale you've ever read."--
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A nice 2016 update to and real world test of the Moneyball strategy. Fun characters, moves fairly quickly.
I expected this book to be heavy on statistics and sports strategy but what made it enjoyable was the human elements, especially the impact of the season on the authors themselves who left with an unexpected appreciation for the role that the minor league baseball experience played in the lives of those who made the team.
My only complaint is that there wasn't more nerdy analytic ideas that the authors got to try out. It really does make you realize though how much of modern team success is down to composition rather than tactics. Sure, aggregate managerial decisions could boost your WAR marginally, but really it's the ability to identify talent and roles (fireman) that makes such an immense difference compared to conventional wisdom.
