Chicago Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw heads into spring training in a position that any player without an established role wants: a legitimate chance to make the opening-day roster.
Shaw will report to big-league camp on Feb. 12 with a great opportunity to win the starting job at third base. The 23-year-old infielder has raked at every level in the minors since the Cubs selected him in the first round of the 2023 draft and last year reached Triple A for the first time, slashing .298/.395/.534 in 35 games with eight doubles, seven home runs and 21 RBIs for Iowa.
After sending Isaac Paredes to the Houston Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker trade in December, Shaw knows what awaits him when camp begins in Mesa, Ariz.
“It’s definitely something I was aware of when they traded away Paredes and (third base prospect) Cam Smith, so it’s exciting,” Shaw said at the Cubs Convention. “You hope that that’s because they have belief in me. We’ll see how everything pans out. And obviously I’m going to do everything I can do to earn that position.
“At the end of the day, the big leagues is the big leagues, so no matter how much the opportunity might present itself, it’s still going to be, you’ve got to earn that spot, so hopefully given the opportunity, I’ll be able to show what I’ve got.”
The Cubs expect Shaw to experience the ups and downs that come with playing in the majors for the first time, especially if he becomes a regular in the lineup. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya both showed last year that early offensive struggles don’t necessarily define a season as both turned things around at the plate over the final two months.
With that in mind, the Cubs want to have a safety net in place should they need to explore other in-season options at third base. With Patrick Wisdom, Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni gone, the organization has needed to address their internal third-base depth.
The offseason additions of Vidal Bruján (trade with the Miami Marlins), Gage Workman (Rule 5 draft pick from the Detroit Tigers) and Jon Berti (free agent signed to a reported one-year deal Wednesday) give them versatile infielders and can take some pressure off Shaw.
“Matt made an impression last spring, and then he went out and had a really good season,” manager Craig Counsell said. “So we have some opportunity there, there’s no question about it.”
As much as the Cubs need Shaw to show he can handle major-league pitching, holding his own defensively at third is also important for a team that has emphasized defense. He has put in work at the position since last offseason, preparation that carried into 2024 when he made 63 starts at third between Double A and Triple A.
“He’s continued to work really hard, I think one thing about him is that he’s an unbelievable worker, kind of reminds me Nico (Hoerner) a little bit in that context,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He’s taken every challenge we’ve given him, and he’s continued to improve defensively. And I do think that defense is something that with hard work and repetition you can get better at, and he’s done a good job of that.”
Shaw has watched a lot of video of some of the best to play third in the majors. He most notably studied Nolan Arenado and Alex Bregman to see how different Gold Glove winners with different body types and approaches handle the position.
“You see that there’s no cookie-cutter way to field third base,” Shaw said. “So for me, feeling a little more like Bregman, similar body type, similar range, side to side, that’s been really beneficial for me at third base. Figuring those things out as you go and starting to kind of piece together a good game plan for third base is what I’ve been doing.”
Third base was a notable weak spot for the Cubs last year, but Shaw’s upside makes it an area they could outperform from a year ago, which would go a long way toward making the playoffs. Cubs third basemen combined for a minus-1.9 WAR in 2024, tying with the Marlins for 25th at the position.
“I feel really blessed about it,” Shaw said. “I’m just really excited and really happy how it’s all worked out. And I think that’s kind of how I deal with the pressure is that I love the game and I love doing it. Obviously you feel it, and I have nerves every game I play, whether it was Little League or whether it’s the big leagues. I’m just really excited, and any time you have that opportunity, you really just look forward to it.”
