Shaw is hitting .204 with a .354 OBP, three home runs and eight steals in 31 games for Double-A Tennessee.
He's been unfortunate on balls in play (.247 BABIP) and has been extremely patient at the dish (39.4 percent Swing%, 16.9 BB%) while using the opposite field a bit more than is optimal (46.1 Oppo%). Shaw made a lot of noise during his first spring training and after getting drafted with the 13th overall pick last year, but it doesn't appear that a promotion to Triple-A is imminent. He has played 25 games at third base and three games at second base.
The Cubs announced Friday that Shaw received an invitation to major-league spring training.
Fellow top prospect Owen Caissie will join Shaw in big-league camp. A first-round pick in the 2023 Draft, Shaw slashed .357/.400/.618 with eight homers and 15 steals across three levels in his pro debut, reaching Double-A Tennessee. He's mostly played shortstop and second base to this point, but Shaw's offseason workouts have been focused mainly at third base, where he has the clearest path to playing time with the Cubs. An Opening Day roster spot is unlikely, but we could see the 22-year-old sometime in 2024.
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Cubs' Matt Shaw: Focusing on third base this winter
Rotowire
Shaw said Saturday that he's taken "probably 99 percent" of his reps this offseason at third base, Ryan Herrera of AllCHGO.com reports.
The No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Shaw saw more playing time at shortstop and second base than third base during his pro debut. However, with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner holding down the middle infield with the Cubs, Shaw's future could be at the hot corner. It was a sample of just 170 plate appearances, but Shaw slashed a robust .357/.400/.618 with eight homers and 15 steals across three levels in 2023. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he could push to debut in 2024.
The Cubs promoted Shaw from High-A South Bend to Double-A Tennessee on Monday, Sahadev Sharma and Keith Law of The Athletic report.
The 21-year-old shortstop has been a quick riser through the Cubs' farm system since being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft in July. After a brief stop in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Shaw bypassed the Single-A level entirely and was unfazed by Midwest League competition. Over his 89 plate appearances at South Bend, Shaw slashed .393/.427/.655 with four home runs and a 7-for-8 success rate on stolen-base attempts.
