Alex Speier has covered the Red Sox for the Boston Globe since 2015. Prior to the Globe, he covered the Sox for a variety of media outlets for more than a decade. He has also reported on the Red Sox minor league system for Baseball America since 2007.
[Speier is] a talented and surprisingly non-biased observer of exactly how the juggernaut Red Sox... had been assembled. ... A welcome companion to help any baseball fan pass the cold winter months.--Lincoln Journal Star A must read.--Pittsburgh Tribune Review A tight, tense, and quite enjoyable story, almost like an adventure novel.... Well worth the read. --Bookreporter.com Describes how the succession of Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington and [Dave] Dombrowski built the 2018 champions. ... Well-written. --New York Post With Homegrown, it is clear Alex Speier has put his time in, both in the clubhouse and in learning about this special core of young players that delivered another championship to Boston. This is a good book, merging the pressures of the field and the dealmaking of the front offices without shortchanging either one. --HOWARD BRYANT, senior writer, ESPN the Magazine I get to read Alex Speier almost daily in the Boston Globe and have anxiously been waiting for his first book. It does not disappoint. If you love the Red Sox or just like baseball, this is the book for you. A deep dive into how the 119-win champion Red Sox were built. --Dan Shaughnessy, New York Times bestselling author of The Curse of the Bambino Alex Speier spins a compelling narrative about how great scouting and player development created a perennial contender in baseball's toughest division, without losing sight of the people at the heart of his story. --Keith Law, author of Smart Baseball Alex Speier is one of the few writers I'd read on any topic, and he's written a fascinating book about a historic season. The jaw-dropping anecdotes and juicy behind-the-scenes details will make this a must-read for Red Sox fans; the powerful, nuanced description of why team building is so important -- not just in baseball or sports, but life in general--will make it a classic for everyone else. --Seth Mnookin, bestselling author of Feeding the Monster Speier tracks the development of the [Red Sox] core from 2011 to their 2018 championship. ... The narrative of a team in the making delivers compelling reading. A must for Red Sox fans. --Booklist A fascinating look at the building of an elite baseball club. --Library Journal