Note: Thank you to NetGalley, University of Nebraska Press, and author Dennis Snelling 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.

Since I began following baseball in the mid-1970s, the Phillies have always been a serious rival to the Mets. It’s hard to believe there was a time when the Phillies weren’t dominant in the National League, but there was. Author Dennis Snelling has crafted the history of the team that goes way beyond just the team of 1950. He’s managed to out together a book that is a solid piece of baseball history.

The first quarter of the book is strictly the history of the Phillies up until the late 1940s. This goes back to before there were any real organized baseball leagues in the mid-1800s prior to the Civil War. There was a degree of competition between teams organized for various reasons such as workplaces, clubs, or organizations such as the American Leagion and VFW. The Phillies had their origins way back then.

Some people forget that the A’s originally called Philadelphia home. They were actually the dominant team in Philadelphia up until the 1950s. Managed by the legendary Connie Mack and owned mostly by his family, the Phillies existed in their shadow, despite the ballpark the teams shared being owned by the Phillies organization. It was right about this time that the Athletics made noise about moving to Kansas City, which was a short stop before moving to Oakland, and now to Las Vegas.

If you think that’s getting away from the main topic of The Whiz Kids, you’d be wrong. I’d say the book is more about the history of baseball in Philadelphia with a focus on the yeart 1950 as everything seemed to change then. Despite losing to the Yankees in four straight in that World Series, Philadelphia became the Phillies’ town. It was a difficult loss after a long season where things didn’t always go the Phillies’ way.

One of the most interesting players from this era was Eddie Waitkus. If you’ve ever viewed the movie The Natural, the story of Roy Hobbs being shot by a woman in his hotel room was based on what happened to Eddie Waitkus. Those events overshadowed his life. During this season, the woman who shot him was released from the insane asylum and he had that to deal with as well as ongoing issues. Later on, the Phillies would propose trading him to the Cubs, which he rejected as the woman lived in Chicago.

I think Phillies fans will be very happy with The Whiz Kids. It’s a detailed history of the team that also has great information about baseball history overall. I hadn’t heard of many of the players on the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies roster, with the exception of Richie Ashburn who played briefly for the Mets in 1962. I don’t know that many out of the sphere of the Phillies fandom will enjoy it as much, but there are some good details for readers who appreciate baseball history. Snalling has compiled a good deal of history in an entertaining read.