"The Process Report 2011" Book Review

Finally, after a long wait, "TPR11" will be released on March 21st as PDF format and in print as well as a Kindle version soon to follow. It'll cost $9.80 for an eBook version and $14.80 in print. If you enjoy reading well written, Rays related material, boy you're in for a treat.

TPR11 consists of everything you need to know about the Rays going forward as well as a fantastic review of the success story (also known as "The Process") of the Tampa Bay Rays. The book not only features an extended and descriptive view of what life as a Rays fan is like, but also as a Rays player. Going from worst to first, as Jonah Keri highlights in "The Extra 2%," a lot happened on the way to the the triumphant Rays era. The magnificent progress that Andrew Friedman, Matt Silverman, and the rest of the Rays management made as a team displays a fantastic set of organizational leaders whether they were inexperienced (such as Friedman) or not.

The steps that Friedman and co. took to becoming one of baseball's most successful organizations are enhanced in this book with flavor. How else do you make the words "Scott Kazmir" still look attractive? Continuing, the dozens of player profiles, yes, I said "dozens" of player profiles take up a another fantastic portion of this book. The scouting reports are from the best Rays writers around, so that kind of content is like no other. Also, the analysis and not statistic-use by these great writers give any kind of reader the ability to understand TPR11. The time spent on TPR11 certainly paid off as every detail in this 104 page book open up a reader to a new and exciting aspect of life as a Rays fan, player, or executive.

Jonah Keri did the foreword

Nicholas Macaluso (a new TPR writer) wrote the Process, Beast, etc. chapter and the 10/18 chapter. 

R.J. Anderson (TPR founder, Baseball Prospectus columnist, and former Fangraphs, BtB, & DRays Bay writer) wrote the Maddon and Price chapters

Tommy Rancel (TPR writer, FG writer) wrote the Dan Johnson, Friedman/Rickey, and Defending Crawford chapters

Jason Collette (Dock of the Rays and Baseball Prospectus) wrote the AL East Preview and the Joyce chapter

Steve Slowinski (DRB, FG and SBN Tampa) wrote the ESPN Prism chapter and assisted Rancel and Anderson with the player profiles

Joe Pawlikowski (River Ave Blues, FG) wrote the Damon chapter

Patrick Sullivan (Red Sox Beacon and Baseball Analysts) wrote the Manny chapter

Bradley Woodrum (DRB) wrote the Hickey chapter

A truly fantastic read -- Make sure you pick up a copy if you want not only top quality Rays content, but great baseball content in general.