Get To Know Q&A: Midwestern life suits Brewers' Travis Shaw just fine

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Travis Shaw celebrates with teammates after a home run.

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.

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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 – just the surroundings, the city, the suburbs, everything.

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. How do the clubhouses compare between the Red Sox and the Brewers?

A. The group in Boston was really good. You had some stars, but they didn’t act like stars. The chemistry we had over there was extremely good, and I think it still is on that team. Coming over here, it’s very similar. Guys genuinely enjoyed hanging out with each other off the field and over here it’s the exact same way.

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. His second and final all-star nod came in 2001, when he saved 43 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was done playing after that year. Why did he retire while he was still at the top of his game?

A. He was tired of the travel. I was getting older, going into sixth or seventh grade, and he was just tired of being away all the time. He just wanted to be home. He had multiple offers and he just walked away. He said he doesn’t regret it. At the time he had two-three pretty decent offers and he said he just didn’t want to do it anymore.

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. Any particular memories stand out to you from the times you were around the ballpark? Did you go to either of the All-Star Games?

A. Yeah, in 2001 I was at the All-Star Game in the outfield for Home Run Derby. I was one of those kids. I think I caught a ball. That was probably the one that stands out the most.

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.

Ryann Shaw, daughter of Milwaukee Brewers player Travis Shaw and his wife Lindy.

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. How much peace of mind do you have now, knowing she’s in a good place health-wise?

A. The stress level with Ryann is definitely down this year, and that’s definitely a plus.

Q. How were you able to put up the numbers you did last season with something so heavy weighing on you?

A. I don’t really have an answer for that. I think it was just the cards that were dealt and roll with it, try to do the best you can. At the time, it was just kind of, "It’s happening," so you’ve got to go with it. But it was a lot. There was a lot of stress last year. If I could get through that, I can get through a lot of things.

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.

Q. The popular argument the last few years has been who’s the best ever – Michael Jordan or LeBron. I assume you think it’s LeBron?

A. I do. I do. Not many people are going to agree with me. But I think he’s the best overall player that’s played the game. He can play positions 1-5.

Q. The Browns drafted Baker Mayfield first overall. He has an interesting connection to the Brewers in that he’s buddies with Christian Yelich. How do you feel about the pick?

A. Yelich is pumped. He loves Baker, and hopefully I’ll get to meet Baker here soon. I don’t know. It was kind of a shock that they took him, but then after reading all the reports that pretty much every other team had him No. 1 on the board, I’m kind of excited now. Everybody sees some Brett Favre in him. So if he’s Brett Favre, it’s a good pick. They’ve got some pieces finally. There’s some optimism for the future. Everybody in their division is getting older quarterback-wise, so if they hit on this draft they could be good for a while.

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