Travis Sawchik
theScore
Cleveland, OH, United States
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Past articles by Travis:
TV's challenge: How to work in the tight spaces of the new pitch clock
When Chris Withers first learned of Major League Baseball's decision to adopt the pitch clock, his immediate thoughts turned to his own quality of life.He's passionate about his job and regarded as one of the best producers in the industry, but if games are 25 minutes shorter, he figures that could mean the equivalent of four fewer days spent in the NBC Sports Chicago truck, where he produces… → Read More
Players are running wild on the bases, and other spring observations
Watching baseball this year might feel a lot like going back in time to, say, 1985.It's not just the pitch clock, which is set to quicken game times to their fastest pace since the mid-1980s. Watching on-field action might also feel like stepping into a time machine and turning the dial back four decades - that's how often players are trying to steal bases.Given the limitations in how often… → Read More
Despite its kinks, MLB's pitch clock paying immediate dividends
The pitch clock arrived in Major League Baseball this past weekend and the results were immediately felt in Arizona and Florida.The first 40 exhibitions played Friday through Monday afternoon featured an average game time of two hours, 37 minutes. That's 21 minutes faster than the first 40 contests played last spring.How it plays in the regular season remains to be seen, but the early sample is… → Read More
5 most important under-the-radar moves of the offseason
Most offseason headlines focus on star free-agent signings and for good reason. Aaron Judge and Justin Verlander can make a huge impact for your favorite club - if ownership is willing to write the check.But less splashy signings can make a big difference, too, especially if they help a hopeful contender improve a position of weakness.With spring training underway and most free agents signed,… → Read More
MLB should embrace the Bally's crisis and forge its next TV path
One of Sinclair Broadcast Group's most important marketing and advertising partners told theScore a year ago there was no chance a major pro sports league could launch a direct-to-consumer product any time soon.It would be impossible to gather the local TV rights - both cable and streaming - because they're scattered around the media ecosystem and expire over a myriad of timespans."It's not like… → Read More
Frugal MLB owners' complaints about profligate spending won't fix the problem
It's rare to hear Major League Baseball owners criticize each other in public given their opaque world of sealed financial records and rare media availability.Yet once in a while, the curtain is pulled back on their business and personal animosities.Last month, Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort criticized the San Diego Padres for their spending. The once low-spending Padres have been doling… → Read More
Park life: Three days with GOAT coach Tom House and his 'misfits'
Story contains coarse languageTo find the Yoda of performance coaches, one must travel to a mountaintop in the far reaches of the country.I exited Interstate 5 in early December about a half hour north of San Diego. The rental car climbed into the coastal foothills, ascending to a public space: Stagecoach Community Park in the city of Carlsbad.What was once a stop for the two-day stagecoach… → Read More
20 years of free agency: The more it changes, the more it stays the same
Major-league players can already boast of a record contract haul this offseason.Teams have spent $3.65 billion on free agents so far, surpassing the $3.14 billion spent on the open market last winter - the first time the $3-billion mark was exceeded.While MLB revenues hit a record of $10.8 billion last year, as reported by Forbes' Maury Brown, the number was up only modestly compared to the last… → Read More
A radical remodel of local sports TV may come sooner than expected
Even a year ago, when theScore published an extensive series exploring the future of televised live sports, predicting how - and how quickly - it would change was challenging. Signs pointed to a drastic upheaval as cord-cutting altered the old landscape. Those forces placed tremendous pressure on the cable ecosystem.In the last year, a major tentpole, the Bally Sports group of Regional Sports… → Read More
6 remaining MLB free agents and the teams they could help
After a record spending spree before the New Year, baseball's free-agent inventory is unusually depleted for this time of year.Still, there remains a number of useful players available to contenders and clubs looking to fill voids. We take a look at some of the most intriguing remaining free agents and where they best fit.Gary SanchezSanchez is a flawed player, no doubt. His struggles at… → Read More
Assessing the Blue Jays' sneaky-good offseason
This is an important offseason for the Toronto Blue Jays.Following an abbreviated playoff appearance in 2022, the team still had one of the most enviable lineup cores in the game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, and emerging star Alejandro Kirk can stay together for three more seasons.Toronto also has one of the better top-of-the-rotation groups - featuring Alek Manoah,… → Read More
Jerry Dipoto is the high-volume trader who put Seattle back in the playoffs
Jerry Dipoto recalls the first time he was traded. He was a Cleveland Indians' right-handed reliever playing winter ball in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following MLB's strike-shortened 1994 season. He needed the innings.It had been a trying year. Doctors discovered a cancerous tumor during a physical in spring training. He immediately had surgery in Florida to remove his thyroid gland. He beat cancer… → Read More
Breaking down MLB's offseason flurry of mad-money moves
There's never been a start to free agency like this. Not even last year's looming labor stoppage caused such a flurry.MLB teams have already spent a record $3.56 billion on free agents through the weekend, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts data analyzed by theScore. Free agency typically starts slowly, but not the last two periods.Teams spent a total of $3.14 billion over the course of last… → Read More
How will the shift ban alter workflow for infielders?
SAN DIEGO - The last infield shift for the foreseeable future happened during the ninth inning of Game 6 in the World Series when the Houston Astros positioned shortstop Jeremy Pena to the right of second base against Philadelphia Phillies left-handed hitter Bryce Harper. Harper hit a fly ball to left for the penultimate out of the 2022 season.Next season, under one of the new rules being… → Read More
10 thoughts from the winter meetings' hot stove
SAN DIEGO - For a second consecutive offseason, MLB is enjoying a frenzied start to its traditionally slow-to-warm hot-stove season.Last year, a record $1.9 billion was spent on free agents in November because of a looming lockout by owners. Previously, the month had never seen as much as $1 billion spent before. This year, $2.1 billion has been spent through Dec. 7.This year's flurry of… → Read More
The curious case of Cody Bellinger's free agency
Cody Bellinger isn't the top free agent available this winter, but he's the most interesting.There's never been a case like that of the 2019 National League MVP winner, who has been plagued by injury and poor performance since then. And yet, after the Los Angeles Dodgers non-tendered him last month, he's hitting the open market at age 27 with that intriguing 2019 stat line: 47 homers, a… → Read More
Do fans prefer a slow burn or frenzy in free agency?
Major League Baseball's free-agency period is almost always a slow burn.Unlike the signing periods of other North American pro sports, which open with a frenzy and see the majority of business completed in a compact window, it often takes time to stoke baseball's hot stove. Early this offseason, the top free agents again remain unsigned.But last offseason was different. Very different. Last… → Read More
What the Braves going public could reveal about MLB's finances
Have you ever wanted to be the owner of a Major League Baseball team? Good news. You can own one next year - albeit just a small slice.Liberty Media, the parent company of the Atlanta Braves, announced Thursday it is spinning off the Braves - and the real estate holdings in the Braves' Truist Park complex - into a separate, publicly traded entity.The transformation of the Braves into a… → Read More
Clutch moments exist. What about clutch players?
Down by a run with a man on in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, Bryce Harper unleashed one of his controlled, violent swings. "The swing of his life," as FOX broadcaster Joe Davis called it. Harper smashed a Robert Suarez 99-mph fastball over the left-field wall. The Citizens Bank Park crowd rose to its feet, tracking the ball's arc, reaching a frenzied… → Read More
A guide on how to
A number of managers in this year's postseason have lacked urgency in their decision-making. They've handled their pitching staff like it's mid-July and not October (and now November).It continued in Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday with Houston manager Dusty Baker.Despite Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. essentially tossing batting practice - he allowed three home runs in the… → Read More