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Rating: 
Summary: Thanks, John
Review: I haven't even received my copy of the 2000 edition yet, but I know it will be fantastic. John Sickels has even been so kind as to make available via e-mail his list of Top 50 prospects for fantasy leagues that have early drafts like mine. Thanks to John, I snapped up Corey Patterson, Abraham Nunez of Florida (I also drafted the other Abe Nunez 2 years ago, before I started reading John's books-bad mistake), and Jesus Colome. I only wish John could have warned me about D'Angelo Jimenez' car accident before I drafted him (Doh!). Thanks for all your hard work, John.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Buy for the Fantasy Leaguer
Review: I've been involved in fantasy baseball since 1984 and of all of the sources available, I find this one invaluable. Mr. Sickells is a very good evaluator of talent and does not zealously use a single method, but rather incorporates various techniques (sabremetrics, traditional scouting, etc.) in making his player evaluations. Since this book does a nearly-comprehensive breakdown of minor leaguers at every level in pro ball, I know that I'll have the upper hand in picking prospects when draft day comes. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star book for me is that it doesn't include MLE (Major League Equivalency) for each player. In truth, I wanted to give it 4.5 stars, but that wasn't an option.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy for the Fantasy Leaguer
Review: I've been involved in fantasy baseball since 1984 and of all of the sources available, I find this one invaluable. Mr. Sickells is a very good evaluator of talent and does not zealously use a single method, but rather incorporates various techniques (sabremetrics, traditional scouting, etc.) in making his player evaluations. Since this book does a nearly-comprehensive breakdown of minor leaguers at every level in pro ball, I know that I'll have the upper hand in picking prospects when draft day comes. The only thing that keeps this from being a 5-star book for me is that it doesn't include MLE (Major League Equivalency) for each player. In truth, I wanted to give it 4.5 stars, but that wasn't an option.
Rating: 
Summary: The Limitations of Sabermetrics Exposed
Review: John Sickels' annual publication once again exposes the limitations of "sabermetrics," which assumes that all that is knowable about baseball can be obtained by number crunching.For those who don't know Sickels' background, he's a former inventory clerk who quit grad school to pursue his fascination with baseball stats. That's fine -- everyone should have the chance to pursue his or her dream. But I'd have a lot more respect for his reviews if he'd spent more of his time actually seeing the players he reviews instead of writing a flippant paragraph or two based on some numbers he crunched. In fact, in the Introduction to this edition he tells us that he spent a month last summer (the heart of the baseball season) obsessed with a board game called "Star Fleet Battles". If he wants to be treated as a serious analyst, why wasn't he spending it seeing baseball games and evaluating the talent he critiques? Sabermetrics works only if it's viewed in *context*. You need to know *why* a player did what he did. It's clear from me after reading reviews of some players I'm knowledgeable about that he hasn't the first clue about their careers. Sickels seems like a nice enough guy, based on his writing style. But as a serious baseball analyst he still has a long way to go.
Rating:
Summary: The Limitations of Sabermetrics Exposed
Review: John Sickels' annual publication once again exposes the limitations of "sabermetrics," which assumes that all that is knowable about baseball can be obtained by number crunching. For those who don't know Sickels' background, he's a former inventory clerk who quit grad school to pursue his fascination with baseball stats. That's fine -- everyone should have the chance to pursue his or her dream. But I'd have a lot more respect for his reviews if he'd spent more of his time actually seeing the players he reviews instead of writing a flippant paragraph or two based on some numbers he crunched. In fact, in the Introduction to this edition he tells us that he spent a month last summer (the heart of the baseball season) obsessed with a board game called "Star Fleet Battles". If he wants to be treated as a serious analyst, why wasn't he spending it seeing baseball games and evaluating the talent he critiques? Sabermetrics works only if it's viewed in *context*. You need to know *why* a player did what he did. It's clear from me after reading reviews of some players I'm knowledgeable about that he hasn't the first clue about their careers. Sickels seems like a nice enough guy, based on his writing style. But as a serious baseball analyst he still has a long way to go.
Rating:
Summary: A good book!
Review: Stephen Smith's review of Sickels' book (see below) is unfair. One wonders if Smith actually READ the book. Sickels isn't a "number cruncher" by any means. He uses sabermetrics, but he also uses traditional scouting methods as well. His track record of analyzing prospects is as good as anyone's. And he DOES see players in person. All in all, it's a good book, informative and an entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: A good book!
Review: Stephen Smith's review of Sickels' book (see below) is unfair. One wonders if Smith actually READ the book. Sickels isn't a "number cruncher" by any means. He uses sabermetrics, but he also uses traditional scouting methods as well. His track record of analyzing prospects is as good as anyone's. And he DOES see players in person. All in all, it's a good book, informative and an entertaining read.
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