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Travis Sawchik FanGraphs Chat
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Moltar
12:58
Other than reducing commercials (I work in TV - never gonna happen), what are some reasonable ways baseball can speed up games? I love a slow, lazy afternoon game, but as tough as it is to remember in January, the games can become a long slog sometimes.
Travis Sawchik
12:58
Enforce rules like keeping batters in the box ... I think MLB got away from this in 2016.
GERB
12:59
Which AL favorite (CLE,BOS,HOU) has the highest chance of missing the playoffs this year?
Travis Sawchik
12:59
I love what CLE and BOS have done in the short term, so I'll say Houston
Andrew
1:00
Trade Urias/Desclafani/Judge for Lester in a dynasty? Win now mode
Travis Sawchik
1:00
Lester's great but that seems pretty steep
Kevin
1:01
Re: replay system - I feel like knowing who the umps are and seeing their faces all year makes me think of them as, you know, human beings. Meanwhile, the 'guys in the booth' who do the replay reviews are anonymous suits that seem disconnected from the game, the sport, the pastime. Why doesn't baseball let us know who's working the booth on a given day?
Travis Sawchik
1:02
If you believe that home-field advantage is tied largely to borderline calls (I do!) then having replay decided by anonymous people in NYC should reduce home-field adv to a slight degree. I'd like to see a replay official at the ballpark
Mike
1:02
Any thoughts on how quiet the Twins have been with a new regime? I didn't expect them to be super active, but it is curious that so far they have been so quiet considering the obvious needs of the franchise.
Travis Sawchik
1:03
They are going to move, Dozier, right?
mtsw
1:04
Followup to the Braves' stadium question: how do you resolve supposed fan preference for higher run scoring with supposed fan preference for shorter games? Fans, in my experience, like higher-than-average scoring games, but if you move fences in, you just increase the average and fans adjust to the new normal fairly quickly.
Travis Sawchik
1:04
Those two issues do oppose each other ... I think there is probably a smart balance in designing an interesting park that plays near league average scoring environment.
Jason
1:05
Cardinals have said that improved baserunning is a top org priority going into 2017. How easy is this to improve without a substantial change to the roster?
Travis Sawchik
1:06
I think that's pretty difficult. I know the Pirates tried to improve base running while I was on the beat netting no real significant gains ... I suspect it's much more tied to player skills
mtsw
1:07
I live in NYC and may be relocating to California soon. I want to take a tour of east coast ballparks before I do. Besides the obvious (Fenway, OPACY, PNC) any must-sees? Any places I can feel okay skipping (I'm debating whether to do Cleveland or Cinci, for instance).
Travis Sawchik
1:08
I think you have the top three correct, especially since OPACY started the new ballpark revolution. CLE and Philly are worth visiting. I'm not a huge fan of GreatAmerican
Henry
1:09
Do you think the Red Sox have put too many "Eggs in the basket" this year, or do you think they have enough young talent that they will remain contenders for the next few years?
Travis Sawchik
1:10
I thought the Sale trade was reasonably fair for both sides. I don't think they've traded too much tomorrow for today ...at least not yet
Daniel
1:10
What will look the most different about the game in 5 years?
Travis Sawchik
1:11
Good question. I think we're going to see fewer and fewer players participating in 150-plus games as rest and recovery becomes more of an industry-wide focus
Franklin Comes Alive
1:11
Should the Braves consider jumping into the Quintana sweepstakes? Would Markakis and a lower level prospect get it done?
Travis Sawchik
1:11
Seems premature .. And Dan's chat has been moved to Wednesday!
Asabin
1:12
Major league front offices are filled with people of extremely high education levels, yet they are paid quite poorly compared to similarly situated people. It is very difficult for a front office person to move between organizations, so in that way teams are able to control their employees by not having to compete with other offers. Do you see these as likely to change?
Travis Sawchik
1:13
I believe there's always a market for talented people....But there's a ton of people who want to work in baseball that could make money doing something else so perhaps the supply can reduce leverage and mobility
SouthSider
1:13
Who do you think will have a better MLB career: Tyler Glasnow or Lucas Giolito?
Travis Sawchik
1:13
Giolito's 2016 was concerning ... but so was Glasnow's. Push
GERB
1:14
What do you think about Cleveland batting order... Ramirez, Lindor, Kipnis, Encarnacion, Santana best top of the order combination? (assuming Brantley doesn't get all the way back to 2014 numbers)
Travis Sawchik
1:14
I like Santana's OBP nearer the top of the lineup
Sonny
1:16
Any local knowledge on Starlin Marte's back issues? Something to be concerned about long term?
Travis Sawchik
1:16
Something to watch in 2017 ... But I don't believe it's become a chronic issue
SDinSEA
1:18
What's your take on Hunter Renfroe? Must be pretty good to moonlight as a Clemson wide receiver ;)
Travis Sawchik
1:18
Not bad for a zero-star recruit
mtsw
1:19
Is there a swap out there where the Orioles trade high-upside-lottery ticket Dylan Bundy for a better SP with less team control? For a team operating on an effective 2 year window and no pitching depth, Bundy seems like a guy who'd be more valuable to a rebuilding team than to them. Drew Smyly, for example, would've been a sensible fit before he was traded.
Travis Sawchik
1:19
Bundy seems like he's been in limbo/between roles forever in Baltimore. I wonder if he's a guy that would benefit from a change of scenery
Kiote
1:21
AI/ML are buzz words and far from being implemented in any broad manner. It will likely be more than 15/20 years before its used in baseball.
Travis Sawchik
1:23
Water Isaacson's "The Innovators" was a really great read and in particular on the concepts of AI. Predictions of AI replacing human functions/tasks always seem to be wrong or at least overly optimistic .... I think teams/companies are served in having human element and cpu power complement each other. Humans are going to have the creativity edge for a long time
Pedro Is The Future
1:24
What would you expect a deal between the Pirates and White Sox for Quintana to look like?
Travis Sawchik
1:24
I think it probably begins with Meadows or Bell and includes Glasnow
biffyclyro
1:26
I've been really impressed with your work, both the quality and the quantity. When you signed on at FG, did you have a list of ideas that you're now churning through? Or are you just really good at brainstorming topics?
Travis Sawchik
1:27
Thanks! I entered with a list, and I've written off some of those ideas. The key is asking good questions and good questions usually lead to more questions.
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