Bill James facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill James
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James in 2010
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| Born |
George William James
October 5, 1949 Holton, Kansas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Kansas |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Sabermetrics |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
United States Army |
| Years of service | 1971–1973 |
Bill James (born October 5, 1949) is an American writer and expert on baseball. He is known for using statistics to study the game. Since 1977, James has written many books about baseball history and numbers. His special way of looking at baseball, called sabermetrics, uses scientific methods and data. This helps understand why teams win or lose.
In 2006, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2003, James started working for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. He was a senior advisor for 17 years. During this time, the Red Sox won four World Series championships.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bill James was born in Holton, Kansas. He joined the United States Army in 1971. After his time in the Army, he went to the University of Kansas. He earned degrees in English, economics, and education by 1975.
Career in Baseball Analysis
Bill James loved baseball and wanted to write about it. He started writing articles about baseball in his mid-twenties. At first, he worked night shifts as a security guard.
The Bill James Baseball Abstracts
Unlike most writers, James did not just tell stories about games. Instead, he asked questions like, "Which pitchers let runners steal the most bases?" Then, he used data and numbers to find the answers.
Editors thought his ideas were too unusual. So, James decided to publish his own books. He started with The Bill James Baseball Abstract in 1977. The first book had 68 pages of deep statistics. He gathered these numbers by studying box scores from the past season.
He sold the first book through a small ad in The Sporting News. Only 75 people bought it. The next year, he sold 250 copies. His books slowly gained respect. By 1982, a big company started publishing his Baseball Abstract books.
Later Works and Online Presence
In 1988, James stopped writing the Abstract books because he was working too much. But he kept writing other baseball books. These included The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.
He also started new yearly books:
- The Baseball Book (1990–1992) had comments, player stories, and historical articles.
- The Player Ratings Book (1993–95) gave statistics for fantasy baseball fans.
- The Bill James Handbook (2003–present) gives statistics and predictions for Major League players. It also includes results for the Fielding Bible Awards.
- The Bill James Gold Mine (2008–2010) had new essays and statistics.
In 2008, James started Bill James Online. People could subscribe to read his new writing. They could also ask him questions. In June 2023, James announced that the website would close. He wanted to work on other projects.
STATS, Inc.
James wanted more detailed information about every baseball game. He helped create Project Scoresheet. This was a group of fans who collected game information.
Later, many members of this group formed companies. One was STATS, Inc.. James joined this company. STATS, Inc. gave data and analysis to major news outlets.
New Ideas in Baseball Statistics
Bill James created many new ways to look at baseball numbers. Here are some of his important ideas:
- Runs created: This number tries to show how much a player helps a team score runs. It uses other hitting statistics.
- Range factor: This number helps measure how good a player is at defense. It looks at how many outs a player is involved in.
- Defensive Efficiency Rating: This shows the percentage of balls hit into play that a defense turns into an out. It helps measure a team's defense.
- Win shares: This is a big number that tries to compare players from different positions and different time periods. It uses many pitching, hitting, and fielding statistics.
- Pythagorean Winning Percentage: This number explains how wins and losses relate to runs scored and runs allowed. It often matches a team's actual winning percentage.
- Game score: This number measures how well a pitcher performed in a single game.
- Major League Equivalency: This uses minor league statistics to guess how a player will do in the major leagues.
- Similarity scores: This compares a player's statistics to other players. It helps understand how players from the past are like players today. For example, Lou Gehrig is similar to Don Mattingly.
- Secondary average: This number tries to show a player's offensive help beyond just their batting average.
- Power/Speed Number: This number combines a player's home runs and stolen bases. It helps identify players who are good at both.
James also said that statistics are not the only important thing. He believed that the situation of the game matters a lot. He was one of the first to say that traditional statistics should be adjusted for things like the ballpark where games are played.
Working in Mainstream Baseball
Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane started using Bill James's ideas in the early 2000s. This helped his team succeed even with a small budget. This story was told in the book Moneyball.
In 2003, John W. Henry, the new owner of the Boston Red Sox, hired Bill James. Henry had been a fan of James's work.
During his time with the Red Sox, James helped the team win four World Series titles. He is given credit for suggesting moves like signing David Ortiz and trading for Mark Bellhorn. He also helped the team focus more on on-base percentage.
On October 24, 2019, Bill James announced he was retiring from the Red Sox. He said he felt he was "out of step with the organization." He received four World Series rings for the Red Sox's wins in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018.
Other Writings and Cultural Impact
James has also written two true crime books. One is Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence. The other, with his daughter Rachel McCarthy James, is The Man from the Train. This book tries to link many murders of families in the early 1900s to one person.
Bill James is a fan of the University of Kansas men's basketball team. He has written about basketball and created a formula for a "safe lead" in the sport.
In 2003, Michael Lewis wrote the book Moneyball. This book talks about James's career and sabermetrics.
James was featured on the TV show 60 Minutes in 2008. He also made a guest appearance on The Simpsons in 2010. The 2011 movie Moneyball mentions James several times.
Personal Life
Bill James married Susan McCarthy in 1978. They have three children.
In January 2024, James shared that he had a stroke. This affected the use of his right hand.
Books About Bill James
- The Mind of Bill James (2006)
- How Bill James Changed Our View of Baseball: by Colleagues, Critics, Competitors and Just Plain Fans (2007)
See also
- Baseball Prospectus
- Defensive spectrum
- Keltner list
- Similarity score
- Win shares
