Review of "Major League Debuts 2023"

 It isn't often I will be asked to review a book that is more reference than reading, but the author of this book about players who made their first MLB appearance in 2022 reached out to me and I am glad I took him up on the offer.  This is an excellent source for information on those players. 

Title/Author:

“Major League Debuts: 2023 Edition” by James Bailey

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: If it seemed like that there were an extraordinary number of rookies or first-time players in Major League Baseball (MLB) last year, it’s because there was. 303 players made their MLB during the 2022 season and this book by James Bailey covers every one of them.

The best aspect of this book is that every player who made their first MLB appearance gets the same treatment – a description of his performance in his first game, a short biography, a recap of their 2022 season in both MLB and the minor leagues, if applicable, and the outlook for the player based on past performance. This is true whether the player was Julio Rodriguez, who was the American League Rookie of the Year for the Seattle Mariners, or Bowden Francis, a pitcher who appeared in one game and threw two innings for the Toronto Blue Jays.  It didn’t matter, Bailey gave each player a good write up and his complete statistics were included, both major and minor leagues.

Another interesting aspect of the book are the statistics in the front, where Bailey compiles varies graphs and charts detailing average ages of the players, which teams had the most players make their debut (19 for the Athletics, 17 each for the Cubs and Guardians), and who had the best and worst debuts. For just about any question one might have about players who started their MLB journey in 2022, this is place to go.  It is not a book that one would read for pleasure, but instead it is one for reference or to settle an argument about who would be better among 2022 debut players.  It is one that I will be keeping on my shelf and referring to during the upcoming 2023 season when the announcer talks about one of these young players.

I wish to thank Mr. Bailey for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

Link: Major League Debuts: 2023 Edition: Bailey, James: 9798374805659: Amazon.com: Books