Baseball Now! » (Bargain)

Dan Bortolotti is a journalist, editor and life-long baseball fan. He is the author of numerous books, including Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders.

A book for all baseball fans: well illustrated short biographies of 70 of the greatest players today, organized by six positions and up-and-comers, with coverage to the 2007 regular season.

VOYA

Baseball fans will flip through this book to find their favorite current players and then settle down to read each engaging player profile. Many players will be familiar from their recent All Star Game appearances. These players have earned MVP, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove awards. Many were first-round draft picks and have gone on to earn Rookie of the Month or Year titles. Each profile details the player's beginnings, stats for early seasons, contributions to the 2007 season, and career potential. The chapters highlight a particular field position and include players from both the American and National Leagues. "Outstanding Outfielders" covers the outfielders currently playing while "Backstops" highlights the amazing catchers. "Armed and Dangerous" profiles pitchers, and "Firemen" described the game-ending closers. Each player has a two-page spread indicating their team and division, including two, full-color action shots. Although the text is filled with baseball statistics, the profiles are highly readable and entertaining. They include both well-known and lesser-known stories, showing players' personalities. A clever graphic design of a baseball ticket for each player contains the career highlights, number, and position in an easily accessible font and format. The book concludes with a chapter called "Rough Diamonds," drawing attention to up-and-coming new players. Bartoletti has done his research, using Internet sources as well as baseball publications. Although the material will become dated quickly, it will remain interesting as a yearbook of important players playing now. Reviewer: Cindy Faughnan