Top 15 Best Baseball Books To Read (2023)

Looking for Baseball Books? Well, you are at the right place. Finding a book from a more familiar genre is quite easy but finding a book on a sports genre can be a little hard. The thing is there not many baseball books out there that can actually inspire you and make the baseball lover in you happy. That is why you need our help finding the best baseball books.
A good baseball book should be able to provide you everything you are looking for, a biography of a famous baseball player, some good tips and tricks on how to be a good baseball player, or a good story revolving around baseball. Whether the book is based on facts or a fictional story about baseball, a baseball lover would enjoy it.
Speaking of the best baseball books in the whole world, we have managed to get you a list of the best 15 baseball books that you might enjoy reading. Go ahead and take a look at the following list of best baseball books and see if you can find a perfect baseball book to read next.

Best Baseball Books

1. K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches

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Our first pick for the best baseball book is K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner. He was a New York Times baseball columnist and he has managed to pull out some of the best stories of baseball in the past few years and made a book for true baseball fans.
Kenner has picked some of the most colorful stories behind the ten major pitches. As its title suggests, there are a total of ten pitches and each has its own chapter in the book. The story is told in a passionate way that would impress any baseball true fan. The book would tell you what’s going on in the minds of combats in those pitches and how they played so well.
This one is all about the insights of the game and telling the readers some of the best facts and tales about the game. Some might say that this game is a celebration of baseball as well. Overall you are going to love it and that’s why you need to read it soon.

2. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

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Moneyball is another popular baseball book that you should give a read sometime. The book was published in 2003.
The book is based on the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its manager Billy Beane. The book would give you insights into the team’s analytical, evidence-based, sabermetric way of assembling a team despite a small budget.
You will get the wisdom of the author while he tries to give readers some insights on the players, managers, coaches, and even the front offices, basically everything that is connected to baseball. You will get a peek at how Bill managed to revive his team even when the balls were not in their court. The book might make a bigger impact on the young baseball players who want to be inspired by something this legendary.

3. Ball Four

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Next on our list of best baseball books is Ball Four. This one too is one of the most famous baseball books of all time that you should read. It was published in 1970, so you can expect some outdated facts and insights on the game as well.
The book is a diary of Jim Bouton, a popular American baseball player. He wrote about the 1969 season with the Seattle Pilots and then with the Houston Astros. Jim also recounts his moments of being a baseball player of New York Yankees!
The tagline of the books says, “the controversial bestseller that tears the cover of the biggest names in the baseball”. You can certainly expect this book to be a little controversial (at least when it was released).
This book has changed the way people used to look at the players and the sports! And for that, you should read the book sometimes!

4. The Boys of Summer

best baseball books to read
The book was published in 1972 and it was written by Roger Kahn, a popular baseball writer. The book consists of the stories of some popular baseball personalities of sports through his eyes when he was growing up!
He recalls the memories of the Brooklyn Dodgers winning the 1955 world series. In this book, he takes some interviews of the star players of the winning team and shares some insights about the big win. The book was a commercial and critical success, so you can read it without any hesitation and if you are, by any means a fan of Brooklyn Dodgers then it’s a must-read book already.

5. The Natural

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The Natural is another baseball book that has made a place in our list of the best baseball books! It was published in 1952 and even after being almost half a century old, some people might find it interesting enough to read.
This one is a fictional book about baseball that you might wanna read. It follows a story of a 19-year-old, Roy Hobbs who is a baseball prodigy. He might have been the greatest player of baseball but his career gets sidetracked when a girl shoots him mysteriously. In the latter half of the novel, the player looks forward to making a comeback and play baseball yet again. Will he be able to do it? Well, that’s what makes this book interesting.
There are not many fictional baseball books or novels that involved any kind of sports, so this one may be a good one to read sometimes.

6. Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty

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If you are waiting for a controversial biography of the greatest baseball player then perhaps we have found the best baseball book for you! Here as you can see, the book is an autobiography of one of the most popular and controversial baseball player, Ty Cobb.
He is considered a baseball royalty and you should know that his lifetime batting average is still the highest of all time. He holds 90 records at the time of his retirement. This is the glory of his life but there is so much controversy associated with this guy as well. He picked a lot of fights, accused of being aggressive, and after his death, it was claimed that he was racist and sexist too.
The book gives a highlight on who the real Ty Cobb was and how we were on the field as well as in his private life. It’s worth reading!

7. Joe DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life

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We have yet another autobiography for you and this time is about Joe DiMaggio! The book focuses on the life of Joe, an immigrant boy who made it big and became a stat baseball player. He played it for the New York Yankees. Not only he has a big career achieved, but you should know that he was also the guy who wooed the evergreen beauty, Marilyn Monroe.
The author has managed to highlight his life and all the aspects of his life that made him the star. The struggle, the dedication, the hard work, and the ups and downs. Joe DiMaggio was undoubtedly one of the most loved baseball players in history and that is why it would be fun to read about him.

8. The Art of Fielding

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The Art of Fielding follows a small boy, Henry Skrimshander. He is played at the shore of Michigan lake, and after a while, he releases that fates of five people depend on it.
Henry is fighting against his sled doubts and they can mean an end to his career before it even starts. The book has got it all, from love affairs to a climactic ending and that’s why this book is a perfect option to read sometimes. This one focuses on baseball as well as a player’s personal life. The fictional baseball book might be one of the best that you would read.

9. Five Seasons: A Baseball Companion

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Five Seasons, as it’s suggested, covers the five-season of baseball from the year 1972 to 1976! The period was also described as the most significant half-decade of the game because this was the era when the world got to know some of the best baseball players in history, including Hank Aron, Lou Brock, and so on.
You will also get insights into the world’s greatest World Series that held in 1975!
The writing of the book is top-notch and readers have loved every bit of the book as well. Overall this one gonna give you a good reading experience as well.

10. A Fan’s Guide to Baseball Analytics

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This one was the most recently published in 2020. As you can guess by the name of the book it would give you insights into modern baseball.
The book is meant to give a full guide on how modern statics are important in baseball. Readers would completely understand the whole concept of baseball and how it’s important to learn all the comprehensive statics which are the present and future of baseball.
Overall of someone who is looking forward to reading a baseball guide and someone who is getting familiar with the game should read this book some time.

11. The Only Rule Is It Has to Work

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What would happen if you get to manage a baseball team or become a coach of a baseball team? Confused? Well, that’s the theme of this book. Picking up a wild experiment the book talks about how would a baseball team be if an unprofessional would take charge of the team.
The authors discuss various tactics and insights of assembling and running a baseball team. The book also features several colorful characters that make the book even more fun and entertaining as well as insightful. So if you are up for a book that discusses the role of team manager or coach then this is the book for you.

12. If I Never Get Back

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We have found yet another sports fiction for you and this time it’s a debuted novel by author Darryl Brock and it was published in 1990.
The book follows the character of modern-day journalist Sam Fowler and he somehow lands in 1869 only to join a baseball team. Soon his life turns upside down and some of the crazy things happen like meeting Mark Twain and falling in love with a girl. This one, too, a good fictional baseball book that you can read.

13. The Soul of Baseball

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The book was published in 2007 and it is based on a popular American baseball player Buck O’Neill. He played for Negro Leagues during the 1940s and 1950s. The book talks about his life and experience and if you are a fan then this book is for you.

14. Sandy Koufax: A Lefty’s Legacy

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We have picked another autobiography about a popular baseball player and it’s Sandy Koufax! You get some insights into the lives of a legend and how he was off the field! The book got appreciation from critics and it was a success as well, after all, who doesn’t wanna know about the former baseball legend!

15. Lords of the Realm: The Real History of Baseball

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Last but not the least, we have picked up the Lords of the Realm as the best baseball book for you. The book as its name would suggest you, talks about the history of baseball and what goes behind this game as well as how it become the greatest game in America! If you are a serious fan of baseball, you would enjoy this one!

Conclusion

So these are some of the best baseball books that you can find. Whether it’s about inspiring you or making you feel motivated to play baseball, these books are here for you. The aforementioned books are some of the bestselling baseball books and they have been appreciated by critics as well as the readers.
That’s all for the article, 15 Best Baseball Books. If you would like to check out similar content, keep coming to our page. Thank you.

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