Baseball Register

The Baseball Register was an annual publication by The Sporting News from 1940 to 2006. In the form of a soft-cover book, it included a biographical and statistical workup of all the players and managers currently (at the time) in Major League Baseball. This usually included all players who had played in at least one game the previous season, as well as players on teams' 40-man roster who had yet to play in the majors. Earlier editions included Coaches, Umpires and Former Stars of the Game, and some editions even included pictures of players. Even though most editions were missing a number of players, the books remain an excellent source of historical information on players, as they include data that is not always readily available, such as a players' transaction and injury records, nominations to minor league All-Star teams, records and unusual feats.

The annual Sporting News Baseball Guide served as a companion piece to the Register, as it included a thorough review of the previous season in the major and minor leagues, and rosters and team information for the upcoming season. Both books were usually published at the start of spring training.

With the widespread availability of such information through electronic sources beginning in the early 2000s, the Register became progressively less relevant until it was finally discontinued in 2007. This coincided with the Sporting News increasingly distancing itself from its roots as the "Bible of baseball" to become a general-interest sports periodical.