MoneyballMoneyball
Score Modern
What it's about
In 2002, the Oakland A's had one of the smallest payrolls in baseball and kept winning anyway. Michael Lewis set out to understand how. The answer was the team's general manager, Billy Beane, a failed former player, and his use of statistics to find players other teams undervalued. Lewis tells the story of Beane's team, the scouts he defied, the outcasts he hired, and the ideas that would change not just baseball but every sport.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the best books of the century and became a film with Brad Pitt. It's a sports book for people who don't like sports and a business book for people who don't like business books.
You'll love it if you liked
Outliers: The Story of Success
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big DifferenceGood to know
You need only a basic knowledge of baseball. Much of what it describes is now standard practice across sports.
By the numbers
- Readers88 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller57 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #12 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #113 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #228 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Practical
More by Michael Lewis
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Flash Boys
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall StreetIf you like this, read next
Atomic Habits
Becoming
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Greenlights
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Tuesdays with MorrieExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2000sTop 25 · 490 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is Moneyball worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the best books of the century and became a film with Brad Pitt. It ranks #228 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 83.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Moneyball about?
In 2002, the Oakland A's had one of the smallest payrolls in baseball and kept winning anyway. Michael Lewis set out to understand how. The answer was the team's general manager, Billy Beane, a failed former player, and his use of statistics to find players other teams undervalued. Lewis tells the story of Beane's team, the scouts he defied, the outcasts he hired, and the ideas that would change not just baseball but every sport.
How long does it take to read Moneyball?
About 8 hours (336 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Moneyball?
If you liked it, try Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand or The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell.