Shaw's maturity, drive shine as prospect strengthens bid for a starting job

Mesa, Ariz. -- In his second big league camp, Matt Shaw has continued to impress the Cubs with his strong work ethic and demeanor, even while recovering from left oblique soreness that he sustained at the outset of Spring Training.

And it’s a big reason why Shaw has the opportunity to win the Cubs’ starting third-base job.

“There’s a lot in front of Matt,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s done a really good job with what has so far been put in front of him, there’s no question about it. That’s why he’s done so well so far. The big league game is going to humble you at some point. It happens to everybody. That’s a test he probably hasn’t had in his life yet. Those are great traits that hopefully help you when that comes.”

Shaw, the No. 19 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, finally got into what he and the organization hope is the first of many games at the hot corner this year for the North Siders, when he started at third base in a 7-3 loss to the Reds at Sloan Park on Sunday. Shaw went hitless in three at-bats in his Cactus League debut, grounding out twice and popping out into foul territory.

Still, it was a critical step for Shaw -- whose availability for the Tokyo Series on March 18-19 is unclear -- after he faced Luke Little and Cade Horton in live batting practice the day prior.

“At the end of the day, you’re trying to get at-bats under you and feel healthy,” Shaw said, “and today I felt really healthy.”

Since being selected 13th overall by the Cubs in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Maryland, Shaw has risen through the Minor League ranks with ease. He belted eight home runs and logged a 1.018 OPS in 38 games between Rookie ball, High-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee in ’23. He followed that up by slashing .284/.379/.488 in 121 games last season between Double-A and Triple-A Iowa, slugging 21 homers and 19 doubles with 71 RBIs and 31 steals. In the Premier12 tournament last November, Shaw hit .412 for Team USA, pacing the tournament with 14 RBIs and 24 total bases.

In addition to his accomplishments at the plate to this point, Shaw has also worked hard to refine his skills defensively after transitioning to third base from the middle infield last offseason.

It all culminates in a clear runway for Shaw this spring at third base after the Cubs moved on from every player who made at least one start at the position for them last season, including Isaac Paredes, who was a part of the package sent to Houston in the Kyle Tucker trade in December along with Cam Smith, another one of Chicago’s third-base prospects.

Not too long ago, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was in a similar position -- a promising top prospect on the cusp of his big league breakthrough with plenty of eyes on him. But Crow-Armstrong feels there’s no pressure internally on Shaw to live up to such critical acclaim right away, raving about the way the 23-year-old carries himself.

“It gives us confidence in him,” Crow-Armstrong said. “For my situation personally, it took me a second to develop a routine that I could stick to and worked that was going to show Counsell and my teammates that they could trust me to go play nine innings every day. That’s taken care of with Matty. I think that was taken care of from the jump. He knew how he liked to work and what worked for him.

“He’s very enjoyable to be around, and I’ve gotten to know him a little bit better after this offseason. We spent a lot of time [in Arizona]. I’m fully bought in on who he is and how he carries himself.”

Shaw will continue to ramp up as the Cubs decide whether he’ll be ready to join the team when they depart for Japan in a little over a week. Counsell said he wants Shaw to be “healthy and prepared for a six-month season,” and with a few other players on the roster capable of holding down the hot corner in the meantime -- including veteran utility man Jon Berti -- there’s no reason to rush him to begin the campaign.

Getting back to game action is an encouraging sign for Shaw, though.

“I think I’ve put a lot of time and effort to be ready for this situation,” Shaw said. “But it’s out of my hands. So I’m going to keep trying to do what I do every day and be consistent, and if I get the opportunity to go [to Tokyo], I’ll be overjoyed. And if not, that’s just part of the process.”