Baseball Maverick

In 2010, the New York Mets were in trouble. One of baseball's most valuable franchises, they had recently suffered an embarrassing end-of-the-year collapse and two bitter losing seasons. Their general manager had made costly player personnel mistakes. And to top it off, their principle owners, two major Bernie Madoff investors, were embroiled in the fallout from the largest financial scam in American history. To whom did they turn? Sandy Alderson, a former marine who served in Vietnam and graduated from Harvard Law. Alderson started in baseball with the Oakland As in 1981. Two years later, he was running the team. With the A's, Alderson led a revolution in the sport. The A's partnered with Apple to introduce the first computers into baseball, pioneered using statistical analysis, attracted bright people, built a quality organization, and became a powerhouse, winning the 1989 World Series. When new owners slashed payroll in the 1990s, Alderson's under-the-radar creativity and intelligent management were thrust into the spotlight. Now, Alderson is in the midst of turning around another embattled franchise, with the Mets in first place in late August, led by a stellar pitching staff full of young guns. Granted unprecedented access to a working GM over several seasons, bestselling author Steve Kettmann follows Alderson's renewal of the Mets despite a limited budget, from big trades that brought back high-profile prospects to the development of young aces including Matt Harvey, Zach Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Baseball Maverick is a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at a Major League team's work to return to greatness, and a fascinating exploration of what it means to be smart.