There’s something a lot of the BYB writing crew have in common, something we think we share with a fair number of our regular site visitors: we love to read. Several of us even have real life jobs that are related to books in some capacity. So we thought it seemed like an ideal opportunity to try something new this season: the BYB Book Club.
This is a low-committment book club, we won’t be grilling you weekly to check your progress. There won’t be any tests. On May 1st we will post an open thread about the book with a few questions to spark conversation, and chat about our thoughts. If you only read a couple of chapters, that’s okay, you’re still welcome to get involved. We’d also love your input on future titles we could take on if this intial test run goes well.
Our book for April is going to be the new book Unhittable by Rob Friedman, best known to the online world as Pitching Ninja. We’re big fans of Rob’s work online and excited to see how his passion for pitching translates into a book. The book also appears to contain a fair bit of reference to Tarik Skubal, making it especially timely this season.
Here’s a blurb of the book:
Can Tarik Skubal three-peat as AL Cy Young? After winning Rookie of the Year and his first Cy Young, how does Paul Skenes get even nastier? Can Jacob deGrom crack 200 strikeouts again? How will Spencer Strider approach his return to dominance? Which pitchers stand to gain the most from an automated strike zone? And what separates Shohei Ohtani’s approach to training from everyone else—why is he the outlier? If you’re asking questions like these as the season approaches, Unhittable is just what you’ve been looking for to prep for Opening Day.
Pitching dominates baseball as never before. Spin rate, sweepers, 105 mph fastballs—all have become standard when evaluating pitching arms and techniques and are familiar lingo in discussion and analysis of the game. Gone is the era of the swaggering power hitters. Batting averages are close to the deadball era; team records for strikeouts are broken and then broken again. The game has fundamentally changed, and hitters may never catch up.
A self-taught coach who has evolved into a top pitching analyst, Rob Friedman has closely observed this revolution that has transformed baseball for both players and fans. Friedman is sought after by players like Cy Young Award-winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, and All-Stars such as Yu Darvish, and he spotlights the influential figures behind this transformation:
Tom House, a former MLB pitcher turned coaching visionary, utilized cutting-edge technology to refine the techniques of legends like Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. His unconventional methods paved the way for a new era shaped by the collision of technology and tradition. Brent Strom, another MLB pitching insider, has used data to revive flagging careers—helping stars like Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Charlie Morton to use technology to enhance their performance. Kyle Boddy, of Driveline Baseball, has trained elite pitchers such as Trevor Bauer, Shohei Ohtani, and Clayton Kershaw, using advanced analytics and technology, as well as others.
Peppered with insights drawn from interviews with top pitchers, Unhittable is an insider’s look at how these advancements have been used by players themselves, and how they have fundamentally changed America’s pastime.
The book is available from all major online retailers (and pro tip, you can request books at your local library if you don’t want to pay). We know Rob doesn’t need our help selling copies, but we do love to support other creatives in baseball.
Take your time to enjoy the book through the whole month of April, and we’ll be back in May to discuss our thoughts. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions of other baseball books you’d like us to consider for future months, leave them in the comments!