Chris Shaw

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #11 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: A first-rounder out of Boston College in 2015, Shaw signed with the Giants for $1.4 million in large part due to his plus lefthanded power. After hitting 81 home runs in 404 minor league games, Shaw made his major league debut on Aug. 31.
  
  Scouting Report: Shaw has plus, all-fields power and has the potential to hit 25-plus home runs in a full major league season. However, Shaw struggled with swing-and-miss issues in Triple-A, and those problems were exacerbated in a very brief appearance in the big leagues. Shaw's strikeout rate was above 34 percent in Triple-A and jumped to 37.1 percent in the majors, a direct byproduct of being too aggressive and chasing too many pitches. Shaw's bat will have to carry him, however, as he's an fringe-average defensive left fielder, at best, with limited range and an average arm.
  
  The Future: Shaw will compete for an Opening Day roster spot with the Giants in 2019, although he'll have to prove he can hit and make contract more regularly to carve out an everyday role. Starting in Triple-A isn't out of the question, although his plus power could make him a valuable platoon option.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #2 prospect in 2018
  The Giants drafted Shaw 31st overall in 2015 because of his power potential, and he has lived up to those expectations. His 24 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2017 were seven more than anyone else in the Giants system. Shaw's plus power is his carrying tool, with scouts predicting he can hit 25-30 home runs a year in the majors. He has all-fields power with the strength to clear AT&T Park's high right field wall and power balls into McCovey Cove. Shaw doesn't sell out to get to his power and his swing is relatively short for a power hitter, allowing scouts to project him as a future .250-.260 hitter although like most power hitters, it will come with plenty of strikeouts. Shaw is going to have to hit because he's a below-average defender at first base and in left field. He is better-suited for the outfield because he is a better runner underway, although still below-average, and lacks short-area quickness. His average arm plays at both spots. Shaw's power is desperately needed by the Giants. He has a chance to be an everyday slugger, but his lack of range will be noticeable in AT&T Park's expansive outfield.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #3 prospect in 2017
  During his sophomore and junior years at Boston College, Shaw hit 17 of the Eagles' 39 home runs, many of which were titanic shots. The Giants selected him 31st overall in the 2015 draft and signed him for $1.4 million. Shaw led the short-season Northwest League with 12 home runs in his 2015 pro debut, then launched 16 more at high Class A San Jose in 2016 prior to a promotion to Double-A Richmond, where Eastern League pitchers gave him his first pro challenge. Shaw has plus-plus raw power, and EL pitchers worked hard to prevent him getting his arms extended on pitches in the zone. No part of the ballpark can contain a pitch Shaw gets hold of. Even with a below-average hit tool, he has the potential to hit 20-plus home runs on an annual basis. His swing has some length and has a tendency to be a little too grooved. Pitchers who fail to locate are bound to get hurt, but Shaw doesn't have the quick hands to adjust his swing quickly on pitches in his cold zone. He does have a solid understanding of the strike zone and will collect his share of walks and strikeouts. Shaw spent much of the 2016 season putting in plenty of early work on defense. He also spent 10 days at instructional league working on his footwork around first. He's still below-average defensively but has improved his range and footwork. Shaw has an above-average arm, but it doesn't come into play much at first base. Shaw's power potential gives him a chance to be a first-division first baseman, but he'll need to improve his defense and hit tool to reach his ceiling. He will head back to Richmond in 2017.
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  Ranked San Francisco Giants #5 prospect in 2016
  The Cape Cod League home run champ in 2014, Shaw was one of the best power bats available in the 2015 draft. He hit 11 home runs in just 40 games during a junior year at Boston College interrupted by a hamate injury. Shaw then led the short-season Northwest League with 12 homers after signing for $1.4 million. Shaw has top-of-the-scale raw power and 30-plus homer potential if he makes enough contact. His upper body looked looser and his swing freer and easier at short-season Salem-Keizer, giving him a better chance to be at least an average hitter. His swing can get long at times. His at-bats against lefthanders have shown steady improvement, but he doesn't get to as much of his power against southpaws. Shaw has an above-average arm, but that's his only significant attribute on defense. He is inexperienced at first base and is currently well below-average there. More experience will help, but scouts believe he'll struggle to ever be better than fringe-average. In the outfield his well below-average speed limits his range. If Shaw hits like he has the potential to hit, his defensive limitations will be a minor drawback. He will head to high Class A San Jose in 2016.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #45 prospect in 2015 draft
  A good summer in the Cape Cod League can do wonders for a player's draft stock. Shaw entered last summer as a known commodity, as he had already begun to tap into his elite offensive potential with a strong sophomore year at Boston College. On the Cape, Shaw showed off his most impressive tool, his plus-plus lefthanded power, leading the league with eight homers. Shaw home runs became legendary, with reports of 450-foot bombs to dead center. Still, Shaw entered the spring with significant question marks on how much his hit tool would allow his power to play. He started to answer those questions this spring, leading some evaluators to give him average grades for his bat. Shaw then broke his hamate bone in his right hand in April. He returned quickly and had yet to show the same power he had pre-injury. Defensively, Shaw plays right field for the Eagles, but many scouts project him to move to first base at the pro level. Shaw does have enough arm strength to handle left field, but the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder's slow feet have scouts pessimistic about his ability to handle the outfield. The team who takes Shaw will likely be a team that was convicted about his bat prior to his hamate injury.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #12 prospect in 2017
  The hulking lefthanded batter slammed 24 home runs this season despite playing half his games in spacious parks at Double-A Richmond and then Sacramento. "He's got big-time power," Sacramento manager Dave Brundage said. "He's a pretty polished guy, even though he's not a finished product." Like most power hitters, Shaw trades some strikeouts for his plus power, but he hits the ball hard enough for an average hit tool. The bigger question is his future position. Drafted as a first baseman, Shaw won't play there for the Giants as long as they have Brandon Belt, thus he spent the season learning left field, an apprenticeship he will continue in the Arizona Fall League. While more comfortable at first base, Shaw has become playable in left field, albeit with limited range and arm strength.
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  Ranked Eastern League #7 prospect in 2017
  Shaw made a big impact in the short time he spent in the EL. He began his career as a first baseman, but the Giants began transitioning him to left field in Richmond and he stayed there at Triple-A Sacramento. Shaw's calling card is his big-time raw power. Managers raved about his batting-practice shows, with one comparing it to what he saw out of Joey Gallo years earlier. He's a tireless worker when it comes to maintaining his swing, and he projects as a thumper who can hit for average and power in the middle of the order. Managers who saw Shaw in the outfield in EL were surprised at his athleticism, though he can improve his throwing by adopting a longer, outfielder's arm stroke. His range is average laterally, but he still needs work going back and in on balls hit straight at him.
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  Ranked California League #2 prospect in 2016
  The 31st overall pick in 2015 showed prodigious power and moved quickly in his first full season. Shaw advanced to Double-A in late June and hit 21 home runs with a .484 slugging percentage across two levels. Managers named Shaw the league's top power prospect by a wide margin, and he ranked second in the league in home runs (16) and third in slugging (.544) when he was promoted. "Big guy that's actually a pretty good hitter," Modesto manager Fred Ocasio said. "Its' not that he's just got power, he's got some hittability." Shaw also significantly improved his defense, with his glove progressing to the point he earned multiple best defensive first baseman votes from league managers. Along with an above-average arm and feel to hit, Shaw profiles as an above-average first baseman with big-time power.
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  Ranked Northwest League #8 prospect in 2015
  The Giants have had success with college performers, from Buster Posey to Brandon Belt to Joe Panik, and Shaw continued that trend. He showed off his double-plus lefthanded power stroke in the Cape Cod League last summer and then came into his junior year ready to rip, only to break the hamate bone in his right hand in April. He returned quickly and hit well, but did not show the same power. As a pro, however, Shaw's pop returned. He socked 12 homers to lead the NWL and led all batters who qualified for this list with a .264 isolated slugging percentage. Strikeouts will be a part of Shaw's skill set, and it remains unclear whether he'll be more than an average hitter as a pro. But he has big raw power with present strength, and he impacts the ball on a consistent basis. Shaw played the outfield as an amateur, but his below-average speed will station him at first as a pro.

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Shaw is blocked from playing the position that fits him best because of Brandon Belt’s long-term contract. He’s continuing to work on trying to master left field instead, but he’s going to have to hit a lot to make his left field defense worth living with. It’s become in question whether he can. Shaw’s plate discipline has steadily deteriorated as he’s faced more advanced pitchers, with a 35.6 percent strikeout rate this season that overshadows his 19 home runs and .532 slugging percentage.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Shaw led the short-season Northwest League with 12 home runs in his 2015 pro debut, then launched 16 more at high Class A San Jose in 2016 prior to a promotion to Double-A Richmond, where Eastern League pitchers gave him his first pro challenge. Scouting Report: Shaw has plus-plus raw power, and EL pitchers worked hard to prevent him getting his arms extended on pitches in the zone. Even with a below-average hit tool, he has the potential to hit 20-plus home runs on an annual basis. His swing has some length and has a tendency to be a little too grooved. Pitchers who fail to locate are bound to get hurt, but Shaw doesn't have the quick hands to adjust his swing on pitches in his cold zone. He does have a solid understanding of the strike zone and will collect his share of walks and strikeouts. Shaw spent much of the 2016 season putting in plenty of early work on defense. He's still below-average defensively but has improved his range and footwork. Shaw has an above-average arm, but it doesn't come into play much at first base.
  
  The Future: Shaw's power potential gives him a chance to be a first-division first baseman, but he'll need to improve his defense and hit tool to reach his ceiling. He will head back to Richmond in 2017.
• December, 2015 Scouting Report
  The Cape Cod League home run champ in 2014, Shaw was one of the best power bats available in the 2015 draft. He hit 11 home runs in just 40 games during a junior year at Boston College interrupted by a hamate injury. Shaw then led the short-season Northwest League with 12 homers after signing for $1.4 million. Shaw has top-of-the-scale raw power and 30-plus homer potential if he makes enough contact. His upper body looked looser and his swing freer and easier at short-season Salem-Keizer, giving him a better chance to be at least an average hitter. His swing can get long at times. His at-bats against lefthanders have shown steady improvement, but he doesn't get to as much of his power against southpaws. Shaw has an above-average arm, but that's his only significant attribute on defense. He is inexperienced at first base and is currently well below-average there. More experience will help, but scouts believe he'll struggle to ever be better than fringe-average. In the outfield his well below-average speed limits his range. If Shaw hits like he has the potential to hit, his defensive limitations will be a minor drawback. He will head to high Class A San Jose in 2016.