The MVP Machine

How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players

By: Ben Lindbergh, Travis Sawchik

Narrated by: Josh Hurley

Move over, Moneyball - a cutting-edge look at major league baseball's next revolution: the high-tech quest to build better players.

As best-selling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik reveal in The MVP Machine, the Moneyball era is over. Fifteen years after Michael Lewis brought the Oakland Athletics' groundbreaking team-building strategies to light, every front office takes a data-driven approach to evaluating players, and the league's smarter teams no longer have a huge advantage in valuing past performance.

Lindbergh and Sawchik's behind-the-scenes reporting reveals:

• How the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox used cutting-edge technology to win the World Series.
• How undersized afterthoughts José Altuve and Mookie Betts became big sluggers and MVPs.
• How polarizing pitcher Trevor Bauer made himself a Cy Young contender.
• How new analytical tools have overturned traditional pitching and hitting techniques.
• How a wave of young talent is making MLB both better than ever and arguably worse to watch.

Instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball: Success stems not from focusing on finished products, but from making the most of untapped potential.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik (P)2019 Basic Books

Critic reviews

"I wish this book spent more time on the Red Sox winning four times as many titles as the Yankees this century, but The MVP Machine is a great and informative deep dive on the challenges of unlocking talent and building winning teams in the age of analytics." (Bill Simmons, founder and CEO, The Ringer)

"This is the book baseball needed, the definitive document on how the best players in the world are using new ideas to become even better. Until now, no one had delivered an authoritative, comprehensive look at the revolution that is transforming the sport and offering lessons that extend even beyond the field. If you want to understand the inner workings of the modern game, you must read The MVP Machine." (Ken Rosenthal, baseball reporter for The Athletic, Fox Sports, and MLB Network)

"A lot of books have claimed to be Moneyball 2.0, but this book actually delivers. It chronicles the changes that are transforming the game of baseball at a fundamental level and shifting power back into the hands of players and coaches." (Mike Fast, special assistant to the general manager, Atlanta Braves and former director of research and development, Houston Astros)

Interesting but more a stream of consciousness than a book

Lots of intriguing info, but kind of disjointed. More a collection of loosely connected stories.

Great for all baseball geeks

so much cool information about spin rates, high speed camera and use of science to make baseball an evolutionary game.

Fantastic Baseball Book

Very well written, combines data science, player development, training concepts, and baseball drama seamlessly. Great read.

My new favorite book

This book is a must read if your a real baseball fan, loved it !!

Next level baseball

This is the next level of baseball analytics. Very well done. If you haven't read Money Ball or Ahead of the Curve you may struggle to keep pace with the sabermetric acronyms. A must read for any baseball fanatic thirsty for what's going on in today's game. Ironic to see Bauer and Boody hooked up in Cincinnati.

favorite book of quaritine

Trevor Bauer has changed the game forever, so much incredible information in this book. I loved it

Very good

I love baseball and this is an excellently worded book. I truly fun listen. Really enjoyed.

Great Book. Horrible Narrator.

As the title says, this is a great book.

The narrator is horrible. He clearly has no grasp of the content he’s reading. He routinely demonstrates his baseball illiteracy throughout the book.

Sometimes, you have to know a bit about the game and how people communicate game data to be able to read it correctly off the page in a manner consistent with normal conversation.

I don’t know who picks narrators, but I’d say this choice is a “swing and a miss.”

In case the Narrator is reading this, “swing and a miss” is a metaphor referencing the game of baseball, an American sport where strong gentlemen swing sticks at balls.

A wonderful glimpse into the next level of player development

If you thought MoneyBall changed the game of baseball, the MVP Machine is going to make that look like an afterthought. This is a must listen to if you have not been exposed to Trevor Bauer’s, Kyle Boddy’s and all the new tech breaking through the game. I have been using this kind of development for the last 4+ years with my now 14 year old son. I have been staying on top of the tech and trends and felt compelled to take notes while enjoying the book.

Phenomenal piece of work

Lindbergh and Sawchik did an amazing job with this book. The amount of research and intelligence gathering is unmatched. They turned over every stone and I truly believe anyone who is involved in baseball NEEDS to read this