What a wild season it’s been for Matt Shaw, eh?
The Cubs’ top prospect made the team out of Spring Training, but with so much baggage attached to his promotion. Remember, over the offseason, the Cubs had traded the third baseman in front of Shaw (Isaac Paredes) and the third baseman behind him (Cam Smith) … and then also very nearly signed Alex Bregman to supplant him. So every single thing Shaw did wrong was loomed over by the specter of what could have been. And I suspect it would’ve been a WHOLE lot worse if the Cubs weren’t winning and Kyle Tucker wasn’t dominating.
Of course, it wasn’t a straight path to positivity from there.
Matt Shaw’s Roller Coaster Season
On April 14, Matt Shaw (62 wRC+ at the time) was sent back down to Triple-A to work on a stance and a more passive, opposite-field approach that just wasn’t working at the big league level. And unfortunately, the progress he seemingly made in Iowa didn’t carry back over to the big leagues when he was re-promoted on May 19 (60 wRC+ from then until the All-Star Break).
And that’s when everything changed.
Not unlike Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya last year, the Cubs effectively benched Matt Shaw just before the break to give him some extended time to revamp his swing (and, certainly, just to reset his mind). And like PCA and Amaya, it worked almost unbelievably well.
In his 102 plate appearances after the All-Star break, Matt Shaw has been nothing short of incredible, slashing .298/.343/.691 (181 wRC+) with six doubles, two triples, and NINE home runs. His strikeout rate remains below 19%, his walk rate has risen, and, most importantly, he’s barreling the ball a lot more often (4.3 barrel% –> 13.2%).
Relative to the rest of the league, Matt Shaw has been one of the single most productive offensive players in baseball during the second half of the season: 181 wRC+ (8th in MLB), 9 HRs (t-14th most).
And that’s excluding the other half of his game that has blossomed almost completely (and all season long, no less): defense.
© Jonathan Hui-Imagn ImagesMatt Shaw was not a third baseman by trade when he was promoted to the big leagues, and despite his athleticism, no one was really sure how he’d look out there. We were probably also a little keyed up on it, given the frustrating defensive performances from some recent Cubs third basemen … Isaac Paredes, Chris Morel, Jeimer Candelario, Patrick Wisdom, etc. But still.
The thing is … Matt Shaw hasn’t just taken to the position; he’s turned into one of the most valuable defensive third basemen in baseball.
You don’t need to see the data if you’ve been watching him play, but I can tell you that Shaw’s 9 Defensive Runs Saved are tied for the 18th most in MLB (all positions), and no one ahead of him has done that in fewer defensive innings. And in terms of third basemen, only Ke’Bryan Hayes is ahead of him.
When you combine all that with legitimately plus speed (Shaw’s sprint speed is second on the Cubs only to PCA) and his 15 total stolen bases, you’re starting to see the picture of a very well-rounded, almost complete player.
Add all that up and you get one of the most valuable OVERALL players in baseball in the second half of the season:
1. Nick Kurtz: 2.6 WAR2. Geraldo Perdomo: 2.3 WAR3. She Langeliers: 2.1 WAR…t-17: Matt Shaw: 1.4 WARt-17: William Contreras: 1.4 WARt-17: Willy Adames: 1.4 WARt-17: Roman Anthony: 1.4 WARt-17: Francisco Lindor: 1.4 WAR
And not that this is a sign of anything meaningful, but Matt Shaw is now fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year odds at DraftKings, behind his teammate, Cade Horton, plus Isaac Collins and Drake Baldwin. I just find that nearly unbelievable, given where we were/where he was as recently as a month ago.
So, nice work, Matt Shaw. You’ve been a stud for a while now and are clearly a big part of the success the Cubs have had in the second half of the season.
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