{"product_id":"2940170266159","title":"The MVP Machine: How Baseball's New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build Better Players","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMove over, Moneyball amp;mdash; a cutting-edge look at major league baseball's next revolution: the high-tech quest to build better players.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs best-selling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik reveal in \u003ci\u003eThe MVP Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLindbergh and Sawchik's behind-the-scenes reporting reveals:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox used cutting-edge technology to win the World Series.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow undersized afterthoughts José Altuve and Mookie Betts became big sluggers and MVPs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow polarizing pitcher Trevor Bauer made himself a Cy Young contender.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow new analytical tools have overturned traditional pitching and hitting techniques.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow a wave of young talent is making MLB both better than ever and arguably worse to watch.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstead 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. \u003ci\u003eThe MVP Machine\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hachette Audio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47098374324464,"sku":"2940170266159","price":25.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170266159_p0.jpg?v=1763706504","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170266159","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}