We all have them in our families.  Heck, it might even be us. Fantasy Baseball players are every where.  As the Christmas season comes to an end, there are always last minute gifts we want to purchase with limited funds. So what do you get the diehard Fantasy Baseball player in your family? Simple, purchase about a book full of relavant resource information that he can use all season long. They will thank you for it, and appreciate the simple fact that you "get" them. Below are the top 5 books (and a bonus book) that I have on my Christmas list every year.  Enjoy.

Ron Shandler's 2012 Baseball Forecaster - if you are looking for simple cheatsheets to guide you through the fantasy baseball drafting process, I suggest you look somewhere else. If you know who Ron Shandler is, then you are aware of his desire to unlock the true player's skill level.  How does he do this?  By researching all the underlying sabermetric stats and not concentrating on the traditional stats like ERA and batting average. Grant it, Shandler has developed his own vocabulary for the stats we all use (command ratios), but his thought process are in-depth and very thoughtful. There is always plenty of statistical evidence to back up the players he targets.

This book is a statistical schmorgasborg for Fantasy Baseball fanatics. You can purchase Ron Shandler's 2012 Baseball Forecaster at amazon for only $16.78 and is due to be released on December 17th.

Art McGee's How to Value Players for Rotisserie Baseball - Look, I won't kid you, this book is not for the faint at heart. Art McGee dives into the statistical quagmire that is creating auction dollar values, including applying concepts from economics, finance, and statistics.  While the concepts might be complicated, McGee does a great job of boiling it down to concepts that a diehard Fantasy Baseball owner can understand.

One final warning or, depending on your perspective, selling point... This book has no overall value unless you are willing to develop your own spreadsheets and apply the concepts presented. Of course, if you are buying this book, I think you are already planning on doing that.

Get the latest version of How to Value Players for Rotisserie Baseball from Amazon for only $8.26.  Serious information and a very low cost.

 The 2012 Bill James Handbook - I will be honest, even though Bill James is well known for questioning the foundational premise of certain baseball strategies, his projections can be skewed towards certain players. Anyone remember the 40 home runs that he projected for Chris Davis a few years ago?  There always seems to be a few second year players that he projects aggressively.  Despite my slight objection, I do not want to steer you away from this book. Bill James runs Baseabll Info Solutions and has posted all the stats from the 2011 season in the book.

While I prefer the statistical analysis on Ron Shandler, there is something about the way Bill James writes that is very enjoyable. The best part about this book is that the 2012 Bill James Handbook is already available for shipment from amazon for only $16.47 and will be at your door before Christmas.

Baseball America 2012 Prospect Handbook - While Ron Shandler has a solid offering called 2012 Minor League Baseball Forecaster , there is nothing better than Baseball America's Prospect Handbook. Each and every year the guys at Baseball America spend countless hours evaluating and ranking all the prospects for every major league team. I am amazed at the detail and accuracy that is applied to every prospect and how many of their top ranked prospects make it to the major leagues and impact Fantasy Baseball owners each season.

The key to leveraging prospects throughout the Fantasy Baseball season is to have a clear understanding of the skill set that a particular player brings to the table. This prospect handbook goes into great detail and presents well thought out scouting reports that will allow even the casual fantasy baseball owner to succeed with prospects.

While you have to wait until February for its release, Baseball America 2012 Prospect Handbook is available for preorder at Amazon for only $21.31.  Um, this is THE best prospect book out there, so fork over the coin.  Your Fantasy Baseball fanatic will love you.

The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2012 - The Hardball Times website is best known for their in depth statistical analysis of everything baseball, and this book is no different. Each year, the guys at THT evaluate everything that happens during the previous season, even some historical events, and provide statistical research and trending information in an effort to rationalize of all that happenings in a given season.

This book is already in stock at Amazon, and can be the perfect gift for a baseball fan singing the cold winter blues. Pick it up The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2012 for only $15.60 today.

Bonus Book

How Fantasy Sports Explains the World – Did you seriously think that I would talk about fantasy baseball books and not mention about AJ Mass’ offering?  Our very own Jordan Simon not only reviewed an advanced copy of the book, but also was granted an interview with AJ Mass himself.  Therefore, we might be a little biased on which book you should by.

You can get How Fantasy Sports Explains the World from Amazon for only $16.47.

Are there any other books your would recommend?  Leave your suggestions in the comments section.