The Baseball Books I Experienced In 2025 – Koufax, Williams, Apatow, and More

2025 marked a reading resurgence for me personally. As a child, I visited my local library (Wickford, RI) and read books about as often as I played baseball. Books were an escape from reality and a resource for knowledge and first hand account of a foreign land. Although I read books into my young adulthood, through my early parenting years, and on the road traveling, 2025 marked a significant uptick in the volume of books I was able to start and finish. Here is a recap of the great books and subjects I excitedly read in 2025.

I grew up knowing that Sandy Koufax was considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time. I knew very little about his upbringing, his early career struggles, and why he HAD to retire from the game of baseball, on top, at such a young age from “A Lefty’s Legacy.“

Everyone has heard of Spalding Sporting Goods, right? Legendary American company. What I learned in this book went way past baseballs, bats, and gloves. It was a history lesson of how baseball was marketed to the world, one port at a time. One of my favorite books of 2025 – “Spalding’s World Tour.“

Having read David Halberstam’s “The Teammates” in 2024, I was excited to read another great baseball book by this great baseball writer. “October 1964” focuses on the how, why, where, and who made the 1964 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees such a baseball classic. One for the ages!

Not quite books, but I have opened and read the comics, cartoons, and fortunes of hundreds of Bazooka Joe gum stories in 2025. Looking forward to more in 2026.

This was one of my favorite baseball books, ever. Tom Alesia had such intimate knowledge not only of Madison, Wisconsin but also the Madison Mallards organization. From its start in a shoe store to the Duck Pond, you have to read this fantastic baseball success story – “Baseball Like It Oughta Be.”

“Diamond Duels” was such a fascinating look into some of the greatest pitcher vs. hitter battles in baseball history. Many, I mean many of the battles were completely one-sided. Some shocked the heck out of me. All were interesting and the book was very detailed and well written.

How many baseball players have made it all the way to the Major Leagues from your hometown? Well, there is a town in the Dominican Republic that has produced multiple players, multiple MLB All-Stars, and even multiple MLB Hall of Famers. That town – San Pedro de Macoris. “The Eastern Stars” is an amazing account of their stories.

I stopped into the Schererville (IN) Library one morning and found their local history section to be filled with great baseball books. And discovered the Deep River Grinders organization, which in turn led me to the wonderful world of Vintage Base Ball. And lucky enough to attend a Deep River Grinders game in nearby Hobart, Indiana.

I love this book and have read through it often for the past 30 years or so. My Uncle Johnny (Walsh) gave this book to me along with instructions on how to get autographs from sports celebrities way, way back in the 1980s. What an awesome book and piece of history!

Whenever I see Ted Williams on a book or poster or on TV, my attention is immediately drawn to it. Couple Ted Williams stuff with military history and I am fully engaged. Anne Keene’s “The Cloudbuster Nine” is baseball history, US Military history, and how her family played a prominent role in that history. Great book.

A stop in the Harlingen Library (TX) turned into a morning of great Texas baseball books. I picked out about 3 or 4 and read through stories of the Greatest Texas Sports Stories, where the Negro Leagues played in Texas, and the Texas League. Libraries are awesome, did I mention that?

Tyler Kepner’s Ten Pitches book is one of my all-time favorite reads. “A History of The World Series, The Grandest Stage” is another amazing read with tons of “wow, I didn’t know that” pieces of baseball knowledge that you just have to have. As a baseball fan, reading about all those sub-stories, that was incredible.

I loved this book. I love the concept of the book because the reality is – not everyone reaches their full or expected potential in life. “Baseball’s Great Expectations” is the reality check most youth baseball parents need to have. Enjoy the game, have fun, be a kid, play the game with class, grow old being a part of baseball. You don’t always hit a home run at the plate, or in life.

And last but certainly not least, the book version of one of the best baseball movies of all-time, “The Natural.” I have literally searched bookstores from RI to VA for this book for years. Finally caved and ordered it online. Read it in about 3 days time. Is the book like the film, not exactly. You should find out the why of that question by reading the book!!!

And here is what I am currently reading as we head into 2026…

And this one that is really cool and non-baseball related (so far)…

Whether you go to your local library and check out a book or order it online, reading is fun (I think I have heard that before). I hope to equal or exceed my reading experiences in 2026. And if you have a great baseball book that you would recommend, I am all ears!

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