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Travis Sawchik FanGraphs Chat

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Travis Sawchik

12:01

Happy eclipse, everyone

12:02

I guess my first question is why y'all are here and not outside staring up into the Sun?

But to those, like Nick Saban, uninterested in the moon passing before the Sun let's get started ...

Bork

12:03

Robot Umps can call a better game, sure, but can they release sick country albums like my boy Cowboy Joe West?

Travis Sawchik

12:03

They sure cannot and maybe that's all that is keeping us from adopting robot umps

Tricky Dick's KnuckleCurve

12:03

Do you welcome our robot umpire overlords with open arms or abundant caution?

Travis Sawchik

12:04

I think robot and home plate umpires can coexist peacefully ... more on that in an upcoming post

Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe

12:04

Hello Travis! After explaining Wins Above Replacement to my girlfriend, she and I created a ticket system for Wins over Relationship. Each of us starts with 50 tickets and, well, you can decide how we exchange them. Is this too tit-for-tat? What should the value of planning a date night be? A weekend get away?

Travis Sawchik

12:04

This is inspired. What happens if you fall below replacement level?

12:04

Greetings from totality. Can't we chat and see the eclipse at the same time?

Travis Sawchik

12:05

I suppose these things do not have to be mutually exclusive

Dosh Jonaldson

12:06

What would it take for the umpires' union to go on strike, and how much would quality of officiating suffer if the AAA umps were "called up"?

Travis Sawchik

12:06

Robot umps? I suspect officiating is very replaceable

Mark

12:06

Is this a fantasy baseball chat?

Travis Sawchik

12:06

It is at times ... it's a delicate balance

Derek

12:07

Is giving bryce harper a $500 million deal a good idea?

Travis Sawchik

12:09

You're going to buy his 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 seasons ... And that could be worth nearly $500 million alone, and even if we're conservative he should be worth $350 million or so in performance value for those seasons .... It's a rare opportunity to buy a superstar's late 20s, and most of his prime. I would buy as a large-market club

12:10

Is he injury prone? This most recent issue was pretty fluky. His style of play carries more risk but he doesn't have a chronic, degenerative issue

Matty P

12:10

How underrated is Jay Bruce? He has been a huge different maker for the Indians

Travis Sawchik

12:11

It was a nice pickup for Cleveland. The Indians rank in the bottom half of the AL in homers, Bruce hits homers, and home runs are particularly important in postseason to maximize mistake pitches and swing games

Ryan

12:11

Will MLB be passed up by the NBA within next 5 - 10 years ?

Travis Sawchik

12:12

In terms of .... ? In terms of Twitter followers that happened long ago

Jorge Posada Ghost

12:12

When will we see a Female General Manager in MLB?

Travis Sawchik

12:13

I think it will happen but still probably 10-plus years away ... One issue is there are simply not many women working in baseball so there are not many qualified candidates. The lack of women in baseball was a subject at Saber Seminar

Mike

12:13

who comes out of the AL? why?

Travis Sawchik

12:13

Cleveland

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/cleveland-rotation-distancing-itself-fr...

12:14

and they are going to be luckier ...

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/cleveland-rotation-distancing-itself-fr...

Rotation has been outstanding for the last 45 days or so

12:15

Kluber-Carrasco-[Good] Salazar is a tough 1-2-3, and Bauer has been much better since leaning on his best pitch more often

12:15

Lets say you're the Yankees and you're now assuming you're fighting for at best home field in the WC game-- who do you want to face in said game, and would it change if you didn't win homefield and it was on the road?

Travis Sawchik

12:16

So you're probably looking at either the Twins, Royals, Angels or Mariners ...

I wouldn't want any part of a meeting with James Paxton ....

I also wouldn't want to play a team with Mike Trout in any one given game

12:17

Royals, maybe

Soxtober 2020

12:17

Nicky Delmonico has a 0.9 WAR through 71 PAs. Obviously he's not going to be a 10 win player over the course of a full season but does he potentially have the tools to be an every day regular? If he continues to lay down bunts to beat the shift he could sustain a higher than average BABIP with a decent walk rate and some pop.

John

12:17

What the heck am I supposed to think about Nicky Delmonico?

Travis Sawchik

12:19

He's not this good, of course, but there's more reason to believe he could be a first-division player

Matty P

12:19

I want Mike Trout in the playoffs but I also find myself pulling for the Mariners. whats your take?

Connecting…

Travis

3:38

Any concern over Acuna's lack of power over his last eight AB?

Baffled!

4:47

What's up with Justin Wilson?

Jordan

4:55

Gio for Cy Young... leads in bWAR!

Locke

3:39

Any thoughts on Frank Schwindel? Been crushing the ball since being promoted to triple A

Denard

3:48

Would you say the MLBPA is much weaker now than when Marvin Miller was the head?

Lloyd Braun's Freezer

3:48

Do you think the Phillies should make a run at quality free agent starters this winter, such as Pineda and Jamie Garcia? Looks like they're starting to build an offensive core, but they have absolutely no depth in their rotation beyond Nola and Eickhoff.

toki

3:50

With the way Devers and Nunez are hitting is there any chance Nunez plays 1b regularly when Pedrioa is back?

Eli

3:54

Please talk me off the Aaron-Judge-is-the-second-coming-of-Kevin-Maas ledge.

Ice Drake

3:55

What is the ceiling for the Rosario/Buxton/Kepler all around OF? Top 2?

3:55

How long until Chapman is back as the closer? Will he be able to keep it again?

toki

3:56

Is Donaldson going to see more time at SS or is this just a bad experiment that came about due to being in an NL park?

3:58

Any reason to bring Rosenthal back this year, even if he doesn't need TJ?

Kvn

3:59

Why is a HBP worth more than a walk in the wOBA calc? If anything, I'd expect a BB to have slightly more value because it's not a dead ball play and there's a possibility to advance more than one base (albeit a small one).

Cy Borg

4:00

With Keyshawn back when rosters expand, will he overtake Max for the NL Cy?

Batman

4:00

How did they Rays fall apart so suddenly?

Marwin Gonzales- Power Hitter

4:02

Is there something wrong with Devenski? Walks are up and Strikeouts are down so far in the 2nd half.

Gary

4:03

Should Yandy be in the majors? His AAA stats are outrageous.

Beau

4:04

whats a realistic outcome for Nicky Delmonico? Ben Broussard, Travis Shaw?

Bob Villar

4:05

Thoughts on Aaron Sanchez for next year?

Mark

6:16

He sucks

Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe

4:05

If you actually want to know what happens if you lose all of your tickets, if I lose all of mine we go on a week's vacation to Peru. If she loses all of hers, I get her credit card and debit card for a month.

Free Wilmer Font

4:06

When does Wilmer Font get a chance! dudes been tearing up AAA. I want to see him in the pen down the stretch.

Sterling Mallory Chris Archer

4:06

What's more trivial, an eclipse or the fact that Yuneski Bethancourt used to be a major league starting shortstop?

Pat

4:06

Thinking of Verlander's eventual HOF chances. He's viewed as a fringe candidate right now..yet, he's had 2 really close CY losses (one controversially so with the Tampa writers filing ballots early last year). 2 no hitters, but, 3-4 1 hitters (including a lost perfect game vs Pittsburgh with 2 outs in the 9th).

Slapshot

4:07

Is an injury

Sir Nerdlington

4:08

What do MLB execs use to track who is on waivers? And what'd they do before the internet?

Al Gone Quinn

4:08

How bad is Pujols' contract, in totality? Will he rebound from negative WAR next season?

Slapshot

4:08

Is an injury like Lester's almost a blessing in disguise in that it gives him a month or so to rest in the middle of the season, meaning less arm fatigue by the time the playoffs roll around?

Jon

4:12

Can we get excited about Patrick Corbin again?

Big Joey

4:12

My team is STACKED with young talent (and Miggy). 7x7 (extra categories are OBP, SLG, HLD, L) Keep 6 forever: Gary Sanchez, Bellinger, Hoskins, Lindor, Sano, Conforto, Judge, Miggy.

Vlad

4:12

Thoughts on yelich ROS and next few years? Was hoping for big things this year but didn't happen. Conforto with a much higher ceiling at this point?

Tricky Dick's KnuckleCurve

4:12

If your St. Louis, your team is full of talent, but it's almost all of the solid-regulars-type. What's the best way to consolidate 3-4 strong role players into a star?

Anon

4:13

What would your rapper name be?

Mike

4:13

Kiermaier will be a top ___ OF ROS?

Anon

4:13

What rhymes with Sawchik?

Anon

4:15

What's up with the Yankees?

Jim

4:15

What are your top 3 favorite ballparks to visit?

Hannah Hochevar

4:17

What's your take on the streaking Buxton? Contact/K rates showing improvement. What do you think his ROS numbers look like?

Royal Pardon

4:18

We tend to do pretty good in the postseason...

Jeb

4:18

Nyy needs a bat. How about Markakis? Would Torres be enough?

JimmyBallgame

4:20

Which 2-3 teams do you see as best positioned to be legit playoff forces going forward (i.e. next 5 years)?

CubFan

4:22

Think Treinen is the closer heading into 2018? If so, does he have the stuff to hold onto the job all season?

Hadji the Cat

4:23

With his 2017 debut looming, where is everyone on Giolito? The floor seems to have lowered since this time two years ago. Is the ceiling the same?

Matt

4:23

Independent of how the rest of '17 plays out, what types of changes do Theo/Jed need to make , outside of adding another SP, to sustain the window of opportunity?

ManBearPuig

4:24

Which baseball player (not named Puig) is most likely to suffer eye damage from staring at the eclipse?

Bpb

4:24

Honestly, why not let Judge sit for three gamedays and see if it resets him? Losing his OBP would be worth it if it allows him to sit. Is there a good reason not to do this?

toki

4:24

What do you see the Cubs doing with there roster when Contreras comes back now that they Rivera and Avila?

CubFan

4:24

Which two AL pitchers from this list will produce the best roto stats in 2018....Shoemaker, Triggs, Alex Meyer, Tropeano, Nate Jones.

Jason

4:24

The lineup the Nationals ran out there this weekend was brutal. Obviously Trea and Bryce back soon. Regardless, any concerns?

Hadji the Cat

4:25

Going forward, how does Orlando Arcia rank among SS in the league? Does he crack top 10?

CamdenWarehouse

4:26

Manny for 2nd in wRC+ since AS break?

CubFan

4:26

Read a recent article from an Oakland paper that quoted management as saying Dustin Fowler, if he's healthy, will be their everyday CFer in 2018. He had a nasty knee injury. Think he can be an everyday player?

Wily Mo's Ghost

4:27

Who'd you rather have: Robbie Ray, Robbie Ross, Robby Scott, and Robbie Grossman; or Johnny Cueto, Johnny Giavotella, Johnny Barbato, and Jhonny Peralta. Assume good health.

Ham Porter

4:27

I was going to guess Donaldson!

CamdenWarehouse

4:28

It's Charlie Blackmon. You have to use the 2nd half split, not last 30

Bob Waller

4:29

Sunny even on the Pacific NW coast, yay! Sitting outside eclipse chatting. OK, so, the Twins are starting to look like the best of the second WC teams in the AL. They should go get someone like, I don't know, Jaime Garcia. What say?

YKnotDisco?!

4:29

Has Seager erased any/all concerns of moving off SS or has the pitching staff allowed ridiculously weak contact. Probably both, eh? I'm thinking positioning plays a large role too.

Wily Mo's Ghost

4:30

What about an augmented reality system? The home plate umps wear dorky-looking glasses that give them various info about the pitch. If they are confident in their instincts despite the info, that's their call, but it should still cut down a lot on "guess" calls when the ump was blocked by the catcher or just otherwise missed it.

Nats fan

4:31

Who would you sign long term if you were the Nats: Harper or Rendon ?

4:31

The Phillies have given Tommy Joseph 800 PAs and he's run a 95 wRC+ and come up with -0.4 WAR. They can afford it because they're going nowhere this year but that's a really extended audition. What do you think of moving a top prospect out of position for that?

Old Hitter

4:32

If Nelson Cruz gets to 40HR this year he will have hit 40 in his 34, 35, 36 and 37 year old seasons. Has anyone ever done that and do you think he can keep it up another year or two?

Xmx

4:32

How is Joe West in trouble?

Skip

4:32

Don't really get the Rays moves. Its sort of "Win Now" buy adding Duda and the bullpen, but not really enough? Is a three-headed front office to blame for lack of vision?

Hannah Hochevar

4:33

Excited to see Andrew Albers take on his former team?

...

4:33

do you think the Rockies and Diamondbacks are still the two wildcard teams or will some other team like the Brewers or Cardinals (or Cubs) sneak in?

Elvis

4:36

Can Meadows make the team out of Spring Training or does he wait until mid year 2018. Big assumption that he will get more playing time than physical therapy until then.

Tom

4:36

Have you seen anything to suggest G.Cole has made improvements recently or is this what he is, a really really good pitcher but below ace level?

4:37

Re: NL nearly beating AL in OPS.. DH's have a 99 wRC+ this season.

Bruce Bocce

4:38

Been on the Mike Fiers rollercoaster all year. Is the next leg up or down?

Xmx

4:42

Wait what did Joe West do this time?!

Richard

4:43

Are there any metrics that say Carson Fulmer may be able to reach a #2/3 potential for the White Sox?

4:45

What does the Red Sox need to be a true contender? I mean, they might win the division but its not enough to beat the Indians and then LAD or Was

Robert Andino

4:45

Did the Marlins make anything good happen around the deadline and is Stanton for sure a goner?

Sal Fasano

4:46

Not to drone on with Cleveland pitching questions, but we've seen Bauer 'turn it around' before. Is this legit? Because for once, it feels legit.

Crusty

4:47

Wins Above Relationship? Let's hope this in no way catches on for us Nefi Perez's of the world.

bhgill41

4:49

You forgot to mention it is MLB Ss Josh Donaldson who is doing the hitting. How do rank him next season if he gains Ss eligibility? I was hoping he would get hot so other suckers overpay for him next y3ar

toki

4:49

In your opinion which 2 players would be the worst to put on the same team? Valencia and Butler, Papelbon and Harper, Odor and Bautista? Or someone else?

desertfox9139

4:49

of all the young pitchers the braves have brought up, does newcomb seem the most fitted for ML success with his easy velocity & passable off speed?

bhgill41

4:49

Will Joey Gallo fair better than the last person Matt Bush ran into?

BB guy

4:51

BB guy

4:51

nick

Walt

4:51

Is Jorge Soler toast, or should we still expect some future fireworks? Dude's LD% is not too far below his batting average this year....

BB guy

4:51

Is Nick Senzel getting promoted to ML on September 1?

Ronald Acuna

4:51

hello

Roger

4:51

whats wrong with mookie betts?

Joe

4:52

more importantly for the Red Sox, it helped free up money for the Sox to sign Shane Victorino, and Johny Gomes, and they helped the Red Sox win the WS in 2013

Anon

4:52

How soon until we see robot players?

Stars Collide

4:53

At some point, does the number of "ace" pitchers dwindle so far that the cy young winner and MVP are the same? Is that point in a couple months?

Sonny

4:54

Having heard both AI generated music and Joe West's album I can assure you robot umps can and will release better country music albums than current umpires

trask

4:56

buxton or e rosario in 16tm pts

trask

4:56

16 tm pts. Any reason to pick up Price?

Guest

4:57

Do A's potentially have a solid infield with Healy, Barretto/Pinder, Semien, and Chapman?

Dave Cameronaunepetitegraine

5:00

What do YOU think should be done about bad umps?

Brian Kenny

5:03

if the religous orthodox can do it, so can baseball managers

Dave Cameronaunepetitegraine

5:03

Why is Lindor so different than the scouting reports?

Matt

5:04

All-Star suggestion: Replace the game with a game of Baseketball

Michelle

5:04

Thanks for chatting! So, Tommy Pham's awesome this year, but that degenerative eye condition sounds like a sell, sell, sell in dynasty/keeper, right?

Dave Cameronaunepetitegraine

5:05

Re Lindor: he was supposed to be an unreal defender with questionable bat, but enough speed and OBP to get by. Now he's a good defender with power and a bit of speed. Is it by choice?

Rapha

5:05

Will Cards fans see Jack Flaherty this season?

Mark

6:16

Depends on if they are in the same location as he is at any given time

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