Play, watch, and understand America's favorite pastime Baseball continues to be a popular game both as a spectator sport and as a pastime. Since the publication of Baseball For Dummies, 3rd Edition, baseball teams have changed, new MLB stadiums have been built, and rules have been updated.

Learn to:

• Improve your hitting, pitching, and fielding
• Evaluate stats, players, and records
• Become a more effective coach
• Get more out of a trip to the ballpark

Your complete guide to baseball, the great American pastime

Take me out to the ballgame! There’s nothing as American as baseball. With this great guide, you’ll get a complete overview of the game, from tips to improve your hitting, pitching, and fielding to details on equipment, rules, and the game as it’s played from the Little Leagues to the Major Leagues.

• Before your first at-bat — discover the history of this great game, the rules of play, and the equipment you’ll need to get ready to go
• Take your swings — find out how to grip and rip the bat in the batter’s box, how to take a stance, how to make contact, and how to follow-through to ensure you get a base hit
• The ball in play — get the scoop on flashing the leather like a pro with tips on the various positions and how to play good defense
• From little league to the big leagues — uncover the latest on all levels of baseball from the Little Leagues, college baseball, foreign leagues, the minor leagues, and Major League Baseball
• The top dog — read about the many roles of a general manager and how his actions can greatly affect how an MLB team performs
• The spectator’s guide — know how to measure your favorite players’ performances and find out how to get the most from your trip to the ballpark

Open the book and find:

• An overview to help you gear up like a Major Leaguer
• Rules that dictate playing the game
• The nuances of hitting, from grip to batting stance
• How to run the bases like a pro
• Fielding tips to help you play defense like an all-star
• In-depth secrets on pitching and playing catcher
• Updated information on the amateur draft
• The impact of steroids on baseball
• Revised specs about the MLB ballparks

Play, watch, and understand America's favorite pastime

Baseball continues to be a popular game both as a spectator sport and as a pastime. Since the publication of Baseball For Dummies, 3rd Edition, baseball teams have changed, new MLB stadiums have been built, and rules have been updated. This updated 4th Edition brings you the latest information on the players, the places, and above all, the game.

Baseball For Dummies is for baseball fans at all levels, from players and coaches to spectators who love the game. Baseball Hall of Fame player Joe Morgan explains baseball with remarkable insight, using down-to-earth language so everyone from the casual observer to the die-hard fan can gain a fuller appreciation of the sport.

• Improve your hitting, pitching, and fielding
• Find a baseball team to play on, from Little League on up
• Evaluate stats, players, and records
• Coach baseball or umpire effectively
• Get more out of a trip to the ballpark
• The latest on baseball stats and sabermetrics

Complete with Morgan's personal lists of top-ten toughest pitchers, smartest players, and most strategic managers, Baseball For Dummies gives you all the inside tips, facts, and stats so you can have Major League fun!