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Travis Sawchik FanGraphs Chat
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Babe Lincoln
12:46
(I know that Cutch is supposed to play RF in 2017, but I'm asking for a friend who is thinking about trading for him.)
Travis Sawchik
12:48
McCutchen's four-year defensive decline (+5 DRS in 2013 to -28 DRS last season) suggest he's done as an average defensive CF ... If the bat rebounds, he can still produce value there in the short term. I suspect he'll sign his next contract to play LF with an American League team
Tim
12:48
Do you think Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano will be better next year?
Travis Sawchik
12:48
Yes and Yes
Joe
12:50
Why aren't more people excited about Kevin Gausman? Arguably a top 15 AL pitcher last year.
Travis Sawchik
12:51
I think people like Gausman, but I don't think many are expecting him to suddenly become a dominant No. 1 .... He's posted back-to-back 4.1 FIPs
Curtis
12:51
How many different types of pitches do pitchers actually throw? Will we see a new type of pitch anytime soon?
Travis Sawchik
12:52
A new pitch? Someday, perhaps, but physics only allows a baseball to make so many movements and do so many different things. Maybe we'll see more true curveball usage, maybe someday a team/instructors will figure out how to teach more to adopt knuckleballs
Curtis
12:53
What is your favorite advanced stat & why?
Travis Sawchik
12:53
I'm really interested in the Statcast batted ball data right now
Don
12:53
Which happens first, Angels make the playoffs or Mike Trout finishes outside the top 3 in MVP voting?
Travis Sawchik
12:54
I don't see the playoffs in the Angels' near-term future, so I'll say Trout outside the top 3.
Curtis
12:55
Who will be the most surprising 20+ HR guy of 2017?
Travis Sawchik
12:56
Hmmmm. Jose Ramirez? GB/FB trending the right way and some of those 46 doubles will turn into homers, perhaps. Does Buxton count?
Don
12:58
Who is the best remaining free agent in your opinion?
Travis Sawchik
12:58
I like Blanton
I think he can fill a valuable multi-inning relief role for someone
12:59
Napoli did hit 34 homers last year .... but his October was ugly and he's 35
JD15
12:59
Any big (non FA) moves remaining before spring training starts or is everyone pretty set at this point?
Travis Sawchik
1:00
Activity is usually quieting down at this time ... but Rick Hahn still has Quintana and a phone
James
1:02
Apparently Washington has stated Joe Ross will be competing for a starter spot this spring training. How much value do you put in this? Seems to me Joe Ross is likely the best #5 starter in all of baseball up there with Matz if all the Mets pitchers are healthy.
Travis Sawchik
1:03
Washington's rotation looks great ... not sure about depth. And I wonder if they would have been better off keeping their young arms and signing Fowler
Randall Simon
1:04
Remember when Manny Ramirez cut off Johnny Damon's throw?
Travis Sawchik
It's right there with the Jeter flip
Tom
1:05
Will MLB ever start their postseason games earlier (LCS & WS)? One of the nice things about the Super Bowl is that whole familes can watch. The earliest a WS game got over this year was past 11:30 on the East Coast. Baseball is really shooting itself in the foot with younger generations right?
Travis Sawchik
1:05
Baseball start times are too late. Let's play an afternoon WS game
DJ
1:06
Does Clay Buchholz figure himself out in a new setting and with less pressure? He wasn't too bad in relief last season
Travis Sawchik
1:07
I'm curious to see what het does. He wouldn't be the first pitcher to benefit from leaving the AL East for the NL. I saw first hand what AJ Burnett and Ivan Nova were able to do
Stevil
1:07
Your thoughts on Reese McGuire? Pittsburgh has/had several interesting backstops in their system, but were you a little surprised when they moved him to Toronto?
Travis Sawchik
1:08
That was a weird trade. Felt like a pure salary dump. I think the opinions have cooled on McGuire, but he's still supposed to have an elite pop time and solid defensive skills. Not sure he's ever going to hit
DJ
1:08
On Opening Day, who will the best free agent still available
Travis Sawchik
1:09
Pick one (or more) of the bat-only type still available
Logan
1:09
If the Rays have a dreadful season, would they be open to trading Longoria? He makes so much sense for the Braves who happen to have the best farm system in baseball.
Travis Sawchik
1:10
The Rays are always open to accumulating surplus value ... And we've seen a small-market team like the Pirates willing to move its Face of the Franchise this winter
Steve
1:11
Statcast is really cool, but is there anything teachable from it? You can't exactly go tell your pitcher to throw a curve with x RPM and a hitter to hit everything at Y degrees
Travis Sawchik
1:12
You can show a hitter what types of launch angles get what types of results, and if a swing change is resulting in more exit velocity, etc ... Pitchers can see how stuff is working independent of results....So it is a really valuable too for teaching
Isaac S
1:12
What do you expect from Michael Conforto this season
Travis Sawchik
1:13
Conforto is a Statcast star. I believe in Statcast. I think he'll continue to learn and the underlying skills will produce better results
Youngman
1:13
Do you think the Braves are in the playoff picture in 2018?
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