The 2025 MLB regular season will kick off on March 18 on Tokyo, as the Dodgers and Cubs will face off in National League action. The Cubs will start the year with fresh faces, including former first-round pick Matt Shaw. Shaw needed less than two years to make the Majors and he’ll look to fill the void at third base.
A Look at Shaw
The Cubs picked Maryland star Matt Shaw in the first round back in the 2023 MLB Draft. Very quickly, it seemed like Shaw was going to move up fast.
The 23-year-old accrued 21 extra-base hits over 38 games in 2023 after he signed, including eight home runs. That season, the Cubs gave Shaw, a middle infielder in college, looks at third, a sign of things to come.
Last season, in which Shaw ended in Triple-A, the 23-year-old picked up 21 total home runs and 31 stolen bases, along with 44 extra-base hits and a .867 OPS. That season put him in a strong position heading into 2025 to make the Cubs out of Spring Training. Not to mention, the trade for Kyle Tucker opened up third base for Shaw, as Isaac Paredes was shipped to Houston.
He got off to a slow start, however, as he missed the start of the Cubs’ spring schedule thanks to an oblique injury.
Shaw performed well after returning from the oblique trouble. He posted a strong 14.7% Whiff% and hit .313/.421/.375 (.796 OPS) over six games in the spring. The Cubs infielder notched an RBI single off ex-Blue Jay Foster Griffin in Chicago’s 4-0 win against the Yomuiri Giants on March 16.
The 23-year-old showcased a very quick bat in the Minors, along with a not-too-long swing, closed stance, and big leg kick that can be used for pitch timing. Shaw may not put up gaudy power numbers in Chicago, especially with a deeper left field at Wrigley Field. But, there’s 15-20 home run potential there, at least.
Defensively, Shaw saw time at second, third, and short in the Minors. The good news for Shaw is that he’s very athletic, which should translate to good footwork at the MLB level. Reports, though, cast doubt on the arm. Nonetheless, Shaw will have to stick at third in the interim given the Cubs’ logjam up the middle.
Shaw is not on the Cubs’ active roster as of writing. However, the 23-year-old is expected to make his MLB debut during the Tokyo Series. Since he’s a non-roster invite, Shaw will need to be added to the Cubs’ 40-man roster.
Teams abroad have additional roster flexibility, including a taxi squad, which Shaw is currently on, to get through international series.
Analysis
The Cubs currently have 13 position players on their MLB roster, although Nico Hoerner is not with the team as he rehabs from flexor tendon surgery. Chicago has veteran infielder Jon Berti, plus Vidal Brujan, currently on their roster to handle second base in his absence.
But as for Shaw, he’ll look to establish himself as the Cubs’ everyday third baseman. It’s been a hole for years, as Chicago’s looked upon the likes of Christopher Morel and the aforementioned Isaac Paredes to fill the void.
Those two had holes that made them unspectacular fits. For Paredes, his pull-heavy tendencies didn’t work well at Wrigley Field. Morel, meanwhile, had numerous issues; he wasn’t a great defender and his whiff problems were too evident.
Shaw is different. While the glove should play at third, his ability to get on base — he had a career .384 OBP — had the bat make him possibly the best player the Cubs have tried at the hot corner in years.
It’s also worth noting it’s the second-straight year a top prospect will debut in Asia. Last March, Jackson Merrill made his MLB bow in Seoul with the Padres.