Bill James and Baseball Info Solutions team of analysts continue to pack in new content, including a fresh look at the continues rise and effectiveness of The Shift and a new breakdown of home runs and long flyouts. And, as always, the book forecasts fresh hitter and pitcher projections for those looking to get an early jump on the next season.

The first, best, and longest-running baseball annual, containing all the annual and lifetime stats on every player in the major leagues, plus analysis by Bill James, John Dewan, and the team at Sports Info Solutions.

When Bill James published his original Historical Baseball Abstract in 1985, he produced an immediate classic, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the “holy book of baseball.” Now, baseball's beloved “Sultan of Stats” (The Boston Globe) is back with a fully revised and updated edition for the new millennium. Like the original, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is really several books in one. The Game provides a century's worth of American baseball history, told one decade at a time, with energetic facts and figures about How, Where, and by Whom the game was played. In The Players, you'll find listings of the top 100 players at each position in the major leagues, along with James's signature stats-based ratings method called “Win Shares,” a way of quantifying individual performance and calculating the offensive and defensive contributions of catchers, pitchers, infielders, and outfielders. And there's more: the Reference section covers Win Shares for each season and each player, and even offers a Win Share team comparison. A must-have for baseball fans and historians alike, The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is as essential, entertaining, and enlightening as the sport itself.

Bill James and Baseball Info Solutions team of analysts continue to pack in new content, including a fresh look at the continues rise and effectiveness of The Shift and a new breakdown of home runs and long flyouts. And, as always, the book forecasts fresh hitter and pitcher projections for those looking to get an early jump on the next season.

Originally published: 2011. With new addendum.

25+ new essays by Bill James and Sports Info Solutions, including Defensive Runs Saved, The Fielding Bible Awards, Impact of Defensive Shifts, Hall of Fame Evaluation Systems, The World's #1 Starting Pitcher, The World's Best Hitter, Injury Analysis, Strike Zone Runs Saved/Pitch Framing, Asian Baseball Players to Watch, Rookies Shaping The Future, Lessons in Defense from MLB Players, Interview with Bianca Smith on Coaching, Braun vs Kemp MVP Debate, Bill James on Win Shares, Interview with Bill James on His Career, Dewan and Neyer on Bill James' Impact.