Introduction to Matt Shaw’s Success
For a guy who wasn’t an everyday third baseman before this spring, rookie Matt Shaw is playing great defense at the hot corner for the Cubs. ‘‘I know it’s a semi-new position [for him] . . . but he’s done an extremely good job,’’ first baseman Michael Busch said after the Cubs’ 7-3 victory Sunday against the Reds. ‘‘It’s not an easy position to play, and to play it at the level that he’s doing it the past couple of weeks is pretty amazing to watch, especially the age [he is]. ‘‘Just to be able to do that at such a high level is pretty amazing.’
Defensive Brilliance
The 23-year-old Shaw, who still is ranked as one of the top 20 prospects in baseball, made a pair of sparkling defensive plays in the seventh inning Sunday, showing off a glove that has been as good as — if not better than — his bat since he made his return from a reset at Triple-A Iowa. It’s no small feat to stand out defensively on this Cubs team, which counts four Gold Glove winners among its regulars and is getting highlight-reel plays from center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong daily. But Shaw has managed to impress as a full-time third baseman after playing shortstop in college and bouncing around the infield in the minors. ‘‘Let’s keep it going,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘He’s playing really well there, making some tough plays.’
Return to Form
Shaw has looked like a totally different player since returning to the majors. The Cubs put him on their Opening Day roster and gave him the keys to the third-base job, but he was sent to Triple-A to get right after beginning his big-league career with a .172 batting average and .535 OPS in his first 18 games. He went down to Iowa, hit the heck out of the ball and earned a return trip. In his first 12 games back, he has hit well, with a .326 average and an .825 OPS to go with five doubles, four walks and five stolen bases.
Key to Success
Shaw even got a big-time highlight last week, delivering a walk-off hit to beat the Rockies in extra innings. ‘‘I’m really enjoying my time up here,’’ Shaw told the Sun-Times on Saturday. ‘‘I feel comfortable; I feel confident. And we’re winning games. Everything seems to be working in the right direction. ‘‘The biggest thing I could learn from was coming up here and not doing great. I learned more from that than anything else.’’ So what has Shaw learned? ‘‘He used the feedback he got from the first three weeks of the season really well,’’ Counsell said before the game Sunday. ‘‘He’s comfortable right now, and he’s getting better. He’s taking feedback that coaches, players and the league have given him and gotten better.’
Background and Potential
The key seems to be Shaw rediscovering what made him one of the top-ranked prospects in baseball in the first place. A successful college career at Maryland made him the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He hit 21 home runs with an .867 OPS in the minors last season and hit six more homers in 24 games this season at Iowa. He finally has brought that bat to the majors. ‘‘It feels good just to feel like myself up here,’’ Shaw said. Shaw can now count himself as one of many productive every
