Official Major League Baseball Fact Book

Official Major League Baseball Fact Book

Produced by The Sporting News, The Official Major League Baseball Fact Book is a treasure trove for baseball fans. Compiling a rather stunning amount of information, it provides a detailed review of the most recent season, a preview of the current season, profiles of current and former baseball stars, a season-by-season review from 1876 to the present, and a section on all-time leaders in various statistical categories. As an example of the book’s comprehensiveness, on the page about the Detroit Tigers you’ll find the team roster; the season schedule; lists of coaches, scouts, trainers, and physicians; the field dimensions of Comerica Park; ticket information; the director of merchandising, for crying out loud–and a lot more. There’s also a complete list of recent transactions, an exhaustive catalog of Hall of Famers, franchise histories, and box scores from memorial games (one of the best parts of the book). Great stuff, and it includes lots of photos. –Andy Boynton

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Facts Need Checking
I have enjoyed previous issues of this book but I bought the current one expecting, as a Red Sox fan, the descriptions of the scoring of the playoff games and the play by play of the World Series. Unfortunately many innings were missing and the scores were not always accurate.

The descriptions of the batting leaders for 2004 were also mistitled. It is too bad that an otherwise valuable record book was issued too hastily without checking the facts.

5 Stars Statistics repository for the 2003 season, a great resource!
Now that the 2004 season is basically over, this book will be outdated very quickly, but look for future versions! I remember picking a copy up in the bookstore for the first time and being simply amazed by how much information was contained within its pages!

The Official MLB Fact Book (2004 Edition) includes an overwhelming supply of individual and team stats for the 2003 stats, plus postseason box scores, and list after list of baseball greats including award winners, league leaders, record holders, and hall of famers.

I used to rely only on each yearly edition of The Sporting News Record Book for updated statistics, but beginning with 2004, I may have found a better alternative.

3 Stars A Baseball Almanac Source
Our inspiration for Baseball Almanac … began with The Baseball Encyclopedia. Our source for the team by team section was inspired by this one book which we have purchased every year since 1999 and STILL keep on our shelf side-by-side. Three stars because there are a few historical errors (-1 star), all of which I’ve written to them about, and not enough data for the average fan (-1 star). Though only a “fact book”, it leaves you wanting more…

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