I found myself at Borders this afternoon, with time to kill, a gift card in my pocket, and no kids... kind of a "geek dad" trifecta.

I wasted no time in making a beeline for the baseball books, though I've already got the Bill James Handbook 2006, and know the Prospectus isn't due for 8 weeks. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a single copy of the Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2006 on the shelf. THT's website is a daily staple for me, as it should be for any reader/contributor here at TGP, so I bought the book after a 10-second in-store perusal.

Those looking for a one-line review: The book is fantastic. Essays, statistics, history, analysis - all top notch. The regular THT crew is there, along with guest contributors including Mr. James himself, Rob Neyer, and John Dewan, among others.

Some interesting Phils-related nuggets found in the book:

- The Phillies were an excellent defensive ballclub, certainly one of the top 5 in the league (analysis done using Fielding Runs by Batted Ball Type).
- They were an atrocious baserunning team, worst in the league (measured by Incremental Run Percentage, which accounts for base situations and batted ball type/location). It's noted that this may be 3B-coach-related.
- Neyer's article focuses on decisions and their impacts; a large portion of the article is devoted to the David Bell / Placido Polanco decision.

Also:
- The team-by-team statistics pages are awesome, with batting, pitching, fielding, and baserunning numbers, as well as Win Share data.
- The detailed statistics, with fielding range numbers and plate appearance outcomes for both batter and pitchers, are invaluable.

There's too much to mention here, from PrOPS, to Net Win Shares, to baserunning analysis... Suffice it to say, this is a must-buy if (like me) you've got a stackful of old Prospectus's and older Baseball Annuals sitting around. And if you don't, this is an excellent way to get your baseball bookshelf started.