Thought-provoking questions in baseball are hard to come by. As Carroll will tell you many times in this read, when it comes to change in baseball, the baseball minds will discuss the issues at hand over and over and over, and then a few more times before anything concrete occurs (or doesn’t). The Science of Baseball does teach you about what the title promises, but it goes beyond that and asks future-centric questions that are meant to spark innovation in the minds of baseball people, whether traditionalists or progressive minds.
(Note to self and perhaps everyone that reads: annotate your books, if it’s not too troublesome. I wish I had now that I am writing about my experience with it, and annotations would have made this a lot easier.)
I didn’t jump out of my shoes to read this book initially. Science? I care about the game, but was this going to be super technical and not give me ideas I thought were worth the time? Instead I was presented with 14 topics that, yes, touched on technical science and physics and all that, but also discussed its effect on the game strategy at present and what that strategy may become in the future. Those topics were:
- The Ball
- The Bat
- Hitting
- Pitching
- The Field
- Fielding
- Baserunning
- Training and Development
- Scouts, Umps, and the Old School
- The Mind and Body
- Injuries
- The Cheats
- Analytics
- The Future
Carroll does a tremendous job at giving background to a great many stalwarts of the game of baseball (the ball, the bat, umpires, scouts) and how they’ve changed (or haven’t changed) over the years. I was more drawn into the lessons he gave on newer ideas and thought areas. These included fielding/defense, baserunning, training and development, the mind and body, injuries and, obviously, analytics.
Fielding and Baserunning
Fielding and baserunning are two areas of baseball that have undergone much discussion in recent years. Fielding has seen the impact of analytics departments through the increased use of and subsequent ban of “the shift,” as Carroll writes at length about, and new fielding metrics. Carroll tabs fielding as “perhaps the most progressive area in baseball,” however we’ve seen baseball teams spend money and build rosters centered around the lineup. First and foremost, teams want “slug,” and those spots in the order that they can’t get slug, they settle for defense. If they can get both out of one player, they have a superstar.
Baserunning is an area, like fielding, that feels as though there is room for growth. Background: this book was published in 2022, meaning the implementation of the pitch clock and limit of pitcher disengagements (began in 2023) weren’t in place yet. Since the implementation of these rules, there’s been a new opportunity for base-stealing in the game. We’ve seen more creative baserunners. Juan Soto of the Mets (13th percentile Sprint Speed according to Baseball Savant) stole nearly 40 bases this season after never having more than 12 in years prior. There simply isn’t a way to measure, aside from the tally of stolen bases come the end of the year, base-stealing ability. Carroll describes the various factors from the pitcher’s time-to-the-plate, the catcher’s receiving of the ball, the catcher’s pop time and throw to second, the runner’s lead size, the runner’s jump timing, etc. There’s so many different things happening in the span of seconds that it’s been tough to identify what is really important in running the basepaths.
Carroll’s chapter on this had me thinking of this current MLB season. The Milwaukee Brewers have been a great story, taking the league by storm with their gritty nature and excellent discipline both in the field and on the basepaths. A large part of their success has been baserunning, and Baseball Savant has them at number one in terms of runs gained from taking an extra base when others may not have. It points to the importance of being able to perform the art of base stealing and extra-base taking (the top 5 teams were all playoff teams this season).
Mind and Body
Perhaps my favorite section of Carroll’s book, Mind and Body takes a unique look into what I believe is a criminally undervalued area of athletic prowess.
Any type of training or development is tremendously important, and Carroll says so in his chapter on Training and Development, however what isn’t talked about enough is rest and recovery. As an active individual myself, I’ve balked at the idea of resting too many times to count, but at a cost. I’ve overworked my body, creating a physical stress that always comes back to get me in the form of mental stress. I took a lot away from Carroll’s discussion on types of rest and recovery that could benefit an athlete in the long-term.
He talks about yoga, stretching, centering yourself through consciously-aware rest (yoga nidra), and many other areas of recovery. I appreciated Carroll’s writing on this because I don’t see it addressed too often these days. There’s some advantage to be gained through the acknowledgement and focus given to the body and mind when the physical work needs rest. It reminded me of something I read from Baseball America on the Dodgers’ minor league system, where the Dodgers are miles ahead of other organizations through the implementation of nutrition-based work and are paying attention to the off-the-field development of their prospects just as much as the on-the-field development. It’s leading to stronger, faster, healthier, and more successfully-developed big-leaguers.
Carroll addressed a key area that baseball has historically ignored, and sparks innovative ideas in those that care to listen.
Conclusion
Carroll’s ideas are forward-looking with history as a guardrail.
In almost every chapter, he mentions baseball’s stubborn nature, never wanting to change and shunning those who tried to do so. It’s a miracle it has evolved as much as it has!
What I appreciated most about the book was, aside from explanations and historical accounting, questions were posed. How will X, Y and Z look in the future? How will that affect the on-the-field product? Off-the-field product? Are analytics or mindset more important? Are there ways to quantify front office impact? Carroll doesn’t shy away from pondering these things aloud.
He doesn’t criticize baseball’s way of developing. He simply acknowledges how things have moved slowly in the past, and offers an optimistic look to the future. Baseball will always remain baseball on the field, but are there ways baseball players, baseball coaches, and front offices can evolve that change the way the game is played for the better of the players, coaches, front offices and fans? That is the question we’re left reflecting on.
Inner Half 