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Travis Sawchik FanGraphs Chat

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Travis Sawchik

12:20

I want to see Trout in a playoff series ... and Simmons

Jamal

12:20

How likely is a strike in 2021? Players shares of revenue keep going down

Travis Sawchik

12:20

I think this is a real issue...but I don't see a ton of concern from players, yet

12:21

I authored this way back in the winter and it is an issue players face: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/baseballs-embattled-middle-class/

Mary Q

12:22

Corey Seager or Lindor?

Travis Sawchik

12:22

I love Lindor, but Seager is the better bat .. and this year he is the better defensive shortstop. It seems like Seager has eased any concerns about him having to move off shortstop in the near term, so Seager

Lloyd Braun's Freezer

12:23

The Phillies infield could get pretty crowded in 2018, with Hoskins, Hernandez, Kingery, Galvis, Crawford, and Franco all vying for starting spots. Would you consider shopping Hernandez/Galvis/Franco this winter?

Travis Sawchik

12:23

Possibly. I'm not sure all those guys are part of the long-term answer

Tim

12:23

Hi Travis, what do you think the LAD lineup looks like in October with the current log jam?

Travis Sawchik

12:24

What's interesting is LAD could have two completely different OF lineups to create platoon advantage ... Good problems to have

Dairy Dilemma

12:24

Who wins the NL Central?

Travis Sawchik

12:24

Cubs

They still have 86 percent postseason odds

12:25

I mean, division odds

12:25

2nd in wRC+ since the AS break.

Travis Sawchik

12:25

Don't cheat

12:26

I assume Stanton is one

Trout?

12:27

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&...

A: Josh Donaldson, I presume

Looks like he's back

Travis' friend

12:27

Does it seem like we've seen a relatively small amount of relievers change hands and a lot of uncertainty in bullpens? With teams like the Cubs and Cardinals seeming a reliever short, will we see more relievers moved before the Aug 31 deadline?

Travis Sawchik

12:28

Hi, friend .... I think of the 30 MLB players traded in the five days leading up to the deadline, 16 were relievers ... I think it's tough to get quality relievers through waivers in this market

Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe

12:28

Or *can* a robot umpire create music?!

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/ai-music-robot-shimon

Travis Sawchik

12:28

hmmmm .

Joe West is in trouble

Scouts?

12:29

Liked the article on scouts. Is there some link between the Astros firing scouts and the Dodgers grabbing 20 pitchers: having no competition creates complacency, so we need to make internal competition?

Travis Sawchik

12:30

Thanks! If you fire your least productive employees every year ... you would probably have greater workplace productivity (and perhaps greater turnover). I'll be curious to see what the Astros do. Luhnow claims it's not a cutback, rather, a reorganization

Max

12:30

Article idea.......The National League is only 1 point behind the American League in OPS for the season. They've never had a higher season OPS since the DH came into A.L. in 1973.

Travis Sawchik

12:30

Woah. That's pretty crazy. What is going on?

Outta my way, Gyorkass

12:30

Let's say the Brewers finish the season (roughly) in line with what the projections say - making a good run of it, but ultimately falling short of the playoffs. What would, in your estimation, constitute an ideal offseason for them? Fill holes like relief pitching, 2B, etc., but mostly stay the course and let the farm system continue to develop?

Travis Sawchik

12:31

Mostly stay the course ... but like the Pirates did in '13-15, the Brewers ought to try and continue to find those low-budget gems. Finding another Travis Shaw and Eric Thames wouldn't hurt

Lunar Verlander

12:31

Will the eclipse get me traded to the Cubs?

Travis Sawchik

12:32

Verlander since July 1: 9.37 k/9, 2.8 bb/9, 3.22 ERA ... http://www.fangraphs.com/statsd.aspx?playerid=8700&position=P&type=&gd...

He can help someone

kevinthecomic

12:33

I have heard that there is a certain kind of breaking pitch, probably a curve ball, that can be thrown such that it is both unhittable and a strike (think of something crossing the back half of the plate travelling almost horizontally) and, furthermore, that human umps call this a ball while robo-umps would call it a strike. Any truth to this or is this umpire union propaganda?

Travis Sawchik

12:33

I suppose, hypothetically, a Rich Hill like curve that drops from the sky and grazes the back of the plate is really, really difficult to hit

12:34

But I think any pitch that crosses a portion of the plate below the chest ... is hittable

But robot umps would perhaps call pitches strikes we rarely see called strikes today which would change strategy and some player value

Mark

12:34

Does Stanton hitting all these homeruns get undervalued because of all the homers this year or can it still be Roger maris special?

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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