Milwaukee life suits Shaw just fine
The Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak caught up with Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw to discuss the trade that brought him to Milwaukee, growing up with a major-league father, his daughter and his passion for Cleveland sports. Shaw, 28, is leading the Brewers with 11 home runs and 28 runs batted in. He’s playing on a one-year contract that’s paying him $567,400.
Q. You had a breakout season in 2017 and Mauricio Dubon is one of the team’s top 10 minor-league prospects. Tyler Thornburg, the player the Brewers traded for you and Dubon, has yet to throw a pitch for the Boston Red Sox because of injuries. Does it make you feel good that the Brewers got the better of that trade?
A. A little bit. Obviously when a team gets rid of you, there’s a little incentive to kind of stick it to them. You try not to think about it too much. I just tried to re-establish myself over here, and I feel like I’ve done that. I thought they gave up on me too quickly. It was my first full season in the big leagues and I thought I had made strides – especially defensively – playing third base for the first time in a few years. Offensively I went through some struggles, especially in the second half of the season. But I’d seen a number of players go through some struggles, too, earlier in their careers and I just felt like they gave up on me too soon. But at the same time, the Brewers had belief in me and they gave me an opportunity to play from the start and I’ve just tried to run with it.
Q. Boston is one of those legendarily intense sports towns. Did
you enjoy your time there?
A. It’s different when you come up in their system versus going there as a free agent or in a trade. They actually do a really good job of preparing guys for what it’s going to be like in the big leagues so honestly, it all just seemed normal to me until you come over here and see the other side and see that’s not normal. But the group of guys over there was awesome. The fans didn’t bug me at all. I liked the fans there. They’re diehard. They expected a lot but at the same time you’re expecting a lot of yourself every single night, too. I thought that I could succeed over there and that it would be a fun place to play. It seems like you’re always in a pennant race, which is nice.
Q. Philadelphia’s fans are noted as the most mean-spirited, but Boston’s fans are notorious for their high standards. What was your impression?
A. They demand, I don’t want to say excellence, but they demand performance all the time. There’s no way around it. They can be reactionary sometimes, intense, and they expect a lot. With the market they’re in, it kind of goes with the territory, I guess. So you’ve got to show up every single night and play and do what you’re supposed to do, and you won’t have any problems if you do what you’re supposed to do.
Q. How would you rank Milwaukee as a sports town from what you’ve seen so far?
A. A lot more laid-back than Boston. There’s only a few that would rival Boston. I’ve really enjoyed it. The fans here are awesome. You see fans out in public and they’re all super-positive and super-friendly. They don’t bug you, that kind of thing. Just good people here in Milwaukee, and in the Midwest in general. I’ve really enjoyed it.
Q. You're an Ohio native, so it would seem like Milwaukee would be a good fit.
A. This fits perfectly into my personality. I don’t want to say this because maybe some people will take it the wrong way, but it’s got a Cleveland feel to it. I mean that in a positive way. I went to college (at Kent State) up near Cleveland, I’m a Cleveland sports fan. Everything just seems normal in Milwaukee. The Northeast is obviously different than the Midwest.
Q. Your “C…H…I…L…L” tweet on April 29 following the four-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field proved prophetic, as the Brewers have gone on to win 12 of 18 since then and are among the winningest clubs in the National League. It’s the type of thing a team leader might do. Do you consider yourself a leader despite not having a ton of service time under your belt?
A. I don’t think you can anoint yourself. I think it’s more the other players looking at you. For me, personally, I would like to become a leader on this team. I’d like to become a guy that, when you think of the Brewers, you think of me. That tweet was more direct. Everybody was reactionary that whole week and it was just like, "Chill out a little bit." But at the same time, I play pretty much every day, I hit in the middle of the order and I would definitely like to become a leader for this franchise.
Q. It’s natural for sons to try to out-do their fathers in time. Your father, Jeff, set a pretty high bar with his 12-year career that included a couple appearances in the All-Star Game. Do you think you can surpass what he did?
A. It kind of helps that he was a pitcher, so that I don’t have to compare numbers. But I have a lot of respect for what he was able to accomplish in his career. It’s rare – not many guys play for that amount of time. Nowadays, it’s becoming even more rare with how young the game is getting. He was a multi-year all-star, and there’s a lot of things I can take from his career that I hope will happen in my career, too.
Q. What was it like growing up as the son of a major-leaguer? It seems like it would be something of a dream life for a young boy.
A. When he was in L.A. I was around all the time. He brought me to the field anytime I wanted to go, which was pretty much every day. There was one trip a year where he got the OK outside of the family trip to bring me on. I don’t know how he cleared that, but it’d be just me and him. He definitely made sure I was allowed to be around, and he brought me around whenever I wanted.
Q. How valuable is it to be around the game like that as a youngster?
A. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’m where I am now. It instilled a work ethic in me. Once I got to the age where I knew I’d have to put in more work, seeing that as you grow up makes it a little easier. I always wanted to hit. I was always a hitter and I used to hang out at the cage all the time and watch guys like Eric Karros and Gary Sheffield go through their routines every day. If you’re not around the big leagues, you don’t understand how many swings guys take or what their routines are. It’s valuable experience.
Q. What's your relationship like with your dad now?
A. He’s around all the time. I talk to him multiple times a week. It’s still a close relationship. He watches pretty much every at-bat. He gave me some pointers a couple weeks ago, actually (in the midst of a lengthy slump). He reached out. He kind of puts things in my head. He doesn’t try to change anything. But he was a pitcher, so he kind of sees things from the other side and throws out what he’s seeing that I’m doing at the plate and offers some suggestions.
Q. Your daughter, Ryann, faced some major health challenges after she was born last season. How is her recovery going now?
A. Ryann’s been good. She’s progressing well. No setbacks, no nothing. She’s doing good.
Q. You don’t hide your Cleveland sports allegiances. So, I’ll ask you: Where is LeBron James going to be playing next season?
A. Not in Cleveland, which is fine. I’ll root for whatever team he goes to. I’m a Team LeBron guy.