Acclaimed baseball writer Joe Posnanski has published The Baseball 100; an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. The entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by George Will and published in partnership with The Athletic. The Baseball 100 is published by Avid Reader Press an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
An instant classic of baseball literature and a must-read for any fan, The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter Joe Posnanski that tells the story of the game through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. In the book’s foreword, Pulitzer Prize–winning commentator George Will marvels, “Posnanski must already have lived more than two hundred years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?”
Baseball’s legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, stars of the Negro Leagues, forgotten heroes, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t just rely on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the twenty-first-century game relative to Greg Maddux dueling the juiced hitters of the nineties? How does the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth? Which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history?
Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, The Baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who played it.
About the Author
Joe Posnanski is the New York Times bestselling author of Paterno, The Machine, and The Secret of Golf. He is a Senior Writer for The Athletic after serving in the same role with MLB, NBC Sports, and Sports Illustrated, and co-founder of Passions in America. He was named National Sportswriter of the Year by the Sports Media Hall of Fame and, as columnist for the Kansas City Star, was twice named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He is a two-time Emmy winner as part of NBC Sports Olympic coverage, and his first book “The Soul of Baseball,” won The Casey Award as best baseball book.