Smart Baseball: Inside the Mind of Baseball’s Top Players

What goes on in a baseball player's mind is critical to the outcome of the game. Since most major leaguers are in peak physical condition, the difference between success and failure on the field often depends on a player's mental approach.

Looking at everything from a player's confidence to his leadership skills, instincts, and hunches, Smart Baseball uses entertaining anecdotes to get inside the mind of baseball's greats and show fans what goes through a player's head when he steps onto the field.

Smart Baseball presents the knowledge and accumulated experience of one of the few three-generation baseball families---the Bells. In addition, this book is full of insights from more than one hundred of Major League Baseball's greatest players---from Willie Mays to Barry Bonds to Ferguson Jenkins.

A fascinating and informative look at what goes on in the psyche of professional baseball players as they play the game, Smart Baseball is a unique chance for baseball fans to see what it takes for ballplayers to succeed at the Major League level.

Buddy Bell played baseball for eighteen years in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians, the Texas Rangers, and the Cincinnati Reds, and was a five-time American League All-Star. After his playing days, he managed the Detroit Tigers and the Colorado Rockies. He is currently on the Indians coaching staff. Buddy’s father, Gus Bell, was a National League All-Star with the Reds for fifteen years. Buddy’s sons, David (currently with the Phillies), Mike, and Rick are all involved in professional baseball.

Neal Vahle holds a Ph.D. in American history from Georgetown University and has written extensively in that field.