In the spirit of Moneyball, the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays offers cutting insights on baseball

Buck Martinez has been in and around professional baseball for nearly fifty years as a player, manager and broadcaster. Having witnessed enormous change in the game he loves, seeing it morph from a grassroots pastime into a big business, he recognizes that not every change has been for the better. Today’s fans struggle to connect to their on-field heroes as loyalty to club and player wavers, and free agency constantly changes the face of every team’s roster.

In Change Up, Martinez isn’t shy with his opinions and offers his unique insights into how Major League Baseball might reconnect with its fan base, how the clubs might train and prepare their players for their time in “The Show” and how players might approach the sport in a time of sagging interest.

Comparing the style of play and preparation that made the all-time greats he played with—including George Brett, Reggie Jackson and Dave Stieb—the best at their respective positions to how today’s players are managed at all levels, he explains why baseball needs to return to its roots in order to win back its fans.

As the play-by-play announcer for the Blue Jays throughout their incredible run in 2015, Martinez shares his insights into how the Jays became Canada’s team again, more than twenty years after their last World Series win.

BUCK MARTINEZ has spent nearly fifty years in professional baseball, including twenty years as a catcher (six years as a Toronto Blue Jay), twenty-five years in broadcasting, and two as a manager. Martinez is currently the play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays on Rogers Sportsnet.

DAN ROBSON is a senior writer at Sportsnet Magazine, and is the co-author of the bestselling book The Crazy Game, with Clint Malarchuk. He lives in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter @RobsonDan.

Buck Martinez's profile page

DAN ROBSON is a senior writer at Sportsnet. His writing has also appeared in the Canadian Press, on CBC and in the Toronto Star. He is the author of the bestseller Quinn: The Life of a Hockey Legend and co-author of the bestsellers The Crazy Game: How I Survived in the Crease and Beyond with Clint Malarchuk and Change Up: How to Make the Great Game of Baseball Even Better with Buck Martinez.

TWITTER: @robsondan

www.danrobsonstories.com

Dan Robson's profile page

“A fun and fascinating look back at what made baseball great, and how that former glory might be recaptured” — Quill & Quire

“Buck Martinez is as knowledgeable about what is going on in the baseball world as anyone I know. Between playing, managing and broadcasting, Buck has been around the game forever, and has a keen eye for what is really important.” — Dan Shulman, commentator, ESPN and Sportsnet

“I’ve always admired Buck Martinez’s baseball career from afar but during my time as the general manager of the Blue Jays I had the opportunity to watch, observe and learn from Buck on so many levels. His passion and insight into the game is unparalleled.” — Alex Anthopoulos, former General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays

“Buck told me long ago that he wasn’t a great player, but he knew what one looked like. As you read the pages that follow, know that you are joining a baseball lifer who only wishes that baseball, in its next life, is better than baseball in its current life.” — Chris Berman, ESPN

“Buck Martinez brings a unique blend of old school baseball thinking mixed with the new statistical mind which is so prevalent in today’s game. Buck has played, coached, managed and broadcasted the game of baseball through many different eras, his love and knowledge of baseball is second to none.” — Dan Plesac, former Toronto Blue Jay, broadcaster for the MLB network