This book is about how to build a successful major league baseball club, based largely on the author’s analysis of the available economic information about club finances. I don’t necessarily agree with everything, but much of the analysis appears reasonable.
I had originally written that the analysis “appears solid,” but a careful reading of the sidebars and footnotes shows that Genarro has made significant assumptions which deserve more discussion than he offers. I’m not saying those assumptions are wrong; I’m saying that he doesn’t always explain where his assumptions come from. Reasonable’s the best rating I’m willing to give him.
Worth reading. The book has considerable value, but it’s less than I hoped it would be. Gennaro’s a good analyst, and he’s found some interesting numbers to work with, but the analysis is often hidden from sight. I, personally, would have liked more explicit calculations, more discussion of the analysis, and less explication of his conclusions. YMMV.
This review was originally published on LibraryThing.