{"id":41251,"date":"2025-03-14T14:15:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=41251"},"modified":"2025-03-14T14:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:15:15","slug":"cubs-matt-shaw-called-his-shot-on-draft-night-now-hes-poised-to-debut-in-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=41251","title":{"rendered":"Cubs\u2019 Matt Shaw called his shot on draft night. Now he\u2019s poised to debut in Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MESA, Ariz. \u2014 On draft night, after being scrutinized by the baseball industry for years, Matt Shaw gave his own scouting report on the Chicago Cubs, the organization that had just selected him with the No. 13 pick out of the University of Maryland. This was July 9, 2023, a moment during a video conference with Chicago reporters that turned out to be prescient.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be on a team that I thought would move me up and give me the opportunity to kind of fail early,\u201d Shaw said then, \u201cand learn how to get my footing through playing against really good competition. I think the Cubs will do a good job with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Shaw, 23, is poised to make his major-league debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers in next week\u2019s Tokyo Series at the Tokyo Dome, sharing a stage with future Hall of Famers, Japanese superstars and the rest of the defending World Series champs.<\/p>\n

That accelerated timeline would be less than 21 months after the Cubs drafted Shaw, whose resume includes 35 Triple-A games, 600 minor-league at-bats and a consensus spot on the major rankings of the sport\u2019s best prospects, including at No. 14 in Keith Law\u2019s ranking for The Athletic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, now that I\u2019m with the organization,\u201d Shaw said when reminded of the quote that essentially called his shot, \u201cI would say that they don\u2019t necessarily move guys as quickly as some other organizations that I\u2019ve seen. I\u2019d say they\u2019re probably more middle of the pack. But I\u2019ve put in a lot of time and effort to be in this situation. I\u2019m very thankful for their belief in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged Shaw\u2019s arrival as \u201cquicker than we probably anticipated,\u201d further validation of the organization\u2019s process of identifying college hitters in the first round.<\/p>\n

Though some of the methods and decision-makers have changed over the years, the Cubs selected Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner between the 2013 and 2018 drafts. Even last year\u2019s first-round pick, Cam Smith, a high performer at Florida State, has already generated major-league value as a key piece in the Kyle Tucker trade with the Houston Astros.<\/p>\n

In comparison to some of those other names, Shaw was lightly recruited out of Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, narrowing his final decision to either Maryland or Northeastern. Now listed at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, he kept developing in college, playing 167 games for the Terrapins and becoming the Cape Cod League MVP. Coaches and players describe him as mature, analytical and driven.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to need every bit of that makeup and that work ethic with the way today\u2019s game is,\u201d Hoyer said. \u201cHe feels like, \u2018OK, I\u2019ll savor this moment, and then I\u2019ll move on to the next thing.\u2019 That\u2019s how he\u2019s wired. He\u2019s not the biggest guy. I think he\u2019s been proving people wrong a little bit his whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defense is a question mark, considering Shaw\u2019s relative lack of experience at third base. But the path to Wrigley Field remained open for Shaw after the Cubs failed to sign All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman. The Cubs can mix and match with other options at that position \u2014 Gage Workman, Justin Turner, Jon Berti and Vidal Bruj\u00e1n \u2014 but Shaw is the player the Cubs hope will seize the job.<\/p>\n

Patience is a big part of Craig Counsell\u2019s personality. The Cubs manager is willing to live with a young player\u2019s inevitable offensive struggles so long as he can be counted on to play strong defense. Brice Turang, who blossomed into a Platinum Glove winner, was a prime example from Counsell\u2019s time running the Milwaukee Brewers. That philosophy carried over to how Counsell managed Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, a dazzling defender who gradually made offensive improvements as a rookie.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe player has to be judged on everything,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cFor Matt, we need him to do both. He\u2019s not going to play defense to the level of a Pete Crow-Armstrong. But he\u2019s going to keep getting better on defense. That\u2019s why the kid\u2019s here already. It\u2019s because he keeps getting better. You put something in front of him, he conquers the challenge. You put something else in front of him, he conquers the challenge. That\u2019s how you get here so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

How long will Shaw stay? And how patient will the Cubs be in a playoffs-or-bust year?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kind of dependent on how I play,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cIf I play well and I\u2019m well-prepared and handle everything fine, then they have no problems. That\u2019s kind of more up to me than anybody else. And I hope that I give them the right opportunity to be patient and just let me go and play.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo: Allan Henry \/ Imagn Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Patrick Mooney<\/strong> is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. He spent eight seasons covering the Cubs across multiple platforms for NBC Sports Chicago\/Comcast SportsNet, beginning in 2010. He has been a frequent contributor to MLB Network, Baseball America, MLB.com and the Chicago Sun-Times News Group. Follow Patrick on Twitter @PJ_Mooney<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite 35 Triple-A games and just 600 at-bats overall in the minors, Shaw is expected to be a big part of the 2025 Cubs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":41252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[282],"class_list":["post-41251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-chicago-cubs"],"yoast_head":"\nCubs\u2019 Matt Shaw called his shot on draft night. 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