Note: Thank you to NetGalley, University of Nebraska Press, and author Chris Haft for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Willie McCovey was at the tail end of his illustrious career when I began watching baseball in the mid-1970s. He still made a great impact at that time. I can remember the Mets announcers treating him with a degree of reverence whenever the Mets played the Giants.

A Giant Among Giants primarily tells the story of McCovey’s baseball career. There are a few dips into McCovey’s personal life, but even these moments, for the most part, are where his personal time and baseball life are connected. For example, much is made of the time Willie spent recovering from knee surgery at Willie Mays’ house in New York. It’s more the connection to other players in the off-time that comes up. If you’re looking for more insight into this very private man, you’ll be disappointed.

McCovey’s baseball career did not disappoint, though, and Chris Haft does a terrific job covering this. McCovey came into the major leagues at a time when the color barrier had recently been broken, but there was still plenty of racism to be seen by the players. McCovey played his entire career in California and preferred it there over his native Alabama with the Jim Crow laws still in effect.

His career was primarily with the San Francisco Giants, although he did play 3 seasons with the San Diego Padres and Oakland A’s before returning to the Giants. Haft does a great job making the case that the Giants’ ownership underappreciated McCovey, until they finally named McCovey Cove for him. The problem seems to be that there were so many notable players playing for the Giants at the same time as McCovey that he was lost in between them. Not only that, but when he first came up to the Major Leagues, it was hard to decide where to position him. McCovey seemed to be a natural first baseman, but Orlando Cepeda held that position. Cepeda could play the outfield, but he didn’t necessarily like to. Although Cepeda and McCovey were great friends off the field, on the field, it seemed like McCovey was pushing Cepeda out of his position.

McCovey was also a player who played nearly his entire career in pain. Much like the “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle, he didn’t complain. His knees were the hardest hit, with numerous surgeries throughout his career to try to relieve some of the pain. They didn’t work.

For younger fans who never had a chance to see McCovey play, I highly recommend A Giant Among Giants. He’s not held up there in baseball lore the way his teammate Willie Mays is. After reading this, you’ll understand better just why he deserved to have McCovey Cove named for him.