Best Baseball Biographies Books of 2025

Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes is a personal account of Stephen A. Smith's life and career. From growing up poor in Queens to becoming a household name in sports media, Smith shares his greatest highs and deepest lows. He also talks about life beyond the set, including his battle with COVID-19 and his thoughts on politics and social issues. The book provides an authentic and eye-opening look into the life of one of America's most popular sports media figures. Overall, Straight Shooter is a compelling and engaging read that offers a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs of a successful career.

Welcome to the Circus of Baseball is a charming memoir of Ryan McGee's summer as a fresh-out-of-college intern for a minor league baseball team. McGee's hilarious account of his time with the Asheville Tourists in North Carolina is steeped in sweat, fertilizer, nacho cheese sauce, and pure, unadulterated joy. The book is a delightful reminder that it's not just the game itself that draws us to baseball but also the people. It's a sweet and funny book that's worth a read for anyone who loves baseball or just wants to be transported to a simpler time.

The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski is an extraordinary book that counts down the 100 greatest players in baseball history. With a foreword by George Will and over 880 pages of insightful comments, illuminating biographies, and entertaining stories, this book is a must-read for any baseball fan. Posnanski doesn't rely only on statistics to rank the players, but he also dives into their biographies, personalities, and accomplishments, placing them in the context of baseball's past and present. This book is a remarkable achievement and a true masterpiece that took a lifetime to write.

Surviving to Drive is an exhilarating account of the 2022 season inside Formula 1 from the team principal of Haas, Guenther Steiner. Steiner takes readers behind the scenes, giving an unobstructed view of what really takes place in the high stakes motor racing world. From hiring and firing drivers to balancing books, designing, launching, and testing a car, and of course the race calendar itself, Steiner provides an uncompromising and searingly honest look at the realities of running a Formula 1 team. This book is a fascinating and entertaining read for any motorsport enthusiast.

The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson by Jeff Pearlman is a stunning biography that captures the essence of one of the greatest athletes of all time. Pearlman's meticulous research and 720 original interviews provide readers with an inside look into Bo Jackson's life, from his humble beginnings to his superstardom in both the NFL and Major League Baseball. The book is a fascinating account of Jackson's life and his larger-than-life persona that made him a household name. Pearlman's writing style is engaging and captivating, making this book a must-read for sports fans and anyone interested in American culture.

The book "Roy White: From Compton to the Bronx" tells the story of a young man from Compton who rose to become one of the greatest all-time Yankees players. It is a unique portrayal of a period in baseball history when the Yankees fell from grace and regained glory. The book is a must-read for any baseball fan, whether they remember watching games from the Bronx Zoo era or have only recently come to enjoy the game. The author's portrayal of Roy White is a revealing portrait of a great man, and a paean to dedication, hard work, and decency.

The Ultimate New York Yankees Trivia Book is a must-read for die-hard Yankees fans and anyone who loves baseball and sports trivia. The book is packed with over 350 trivia questions, interesting facts, and mind-blowing stories from the early days of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig to the current era of Bronx baseball led by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. From the first no-hitter to the dream date of former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, this book offers a grand slam of information. The editor recommends this book to all Yankees fans and sports trivia enthusiasts.

A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America's Pastime by Joe Kelly is an insider's exposé of the laws and culture of Major League Baseball. Kelly provides a house-cleaning tour of the clubhouse, the field of play, the bullpen, the front office, the commissioner's office, and a ballplayer's restricted life off the field. He addresses the issues that have tarnished the game and provides solutions to make baseball pure, fun, and damn near perfect. Kelly's legendary exploits, including starting a bench-clearing brawl with the Yankees' Tyler Austin, add an entertaining touch. This book is a must-read for baseball fans who want to see the game thrive and evolve.

Peggy Rowe's latest memoir, "Vacuuming in the Nude: And Other Ways to Get Attention," is a hilarious and heartwarming inside look at her writing journey. Despite years of rejection, Peggy's tenacity and family support led to her breakthrough at the age of eighty. In this book, she shares her experiences attending writers' conferences and finding humor in everyday situations. Peggy's addiction to making people laugh shines through in her stories, even in her cancer support group. Overall, "Vacuuming in the Nude" is a delightful and unique memoir that will leave readers laughing and inspired.

This book is a tribute to Skip Bertman, the legendary former LSU head baseball coach, and Athletic Director. The author, Glenn Guilbeau, a veteran sportswriter, sheds light on Skip's work ethic, inventiveness, attention to detail, entrepreneurial ability, and overall contributions to LSU. The book includes chapters on each of the five National Championships won under his direction, beginning in 1991. It reveals his secrets to training great pitchers who later pitched in the Major League and shows how he embraced and used "The Power of Positive Thinking" throughout his career. The book is a must-read for baseball lovers and anyone who wants to learn from one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history.