Cubs Rookie Matt Shaw Reflects On Path To MLB After Winning Starting 3B Job

“It’s a lot,” Shaw said. “But you find a way. At the end of the day, it’s just baseball. The best you can do is try to minimize your plan, minimize your thoughts and just go out there and play a good game.”

Shaw stood on the first base line under the roof of the Tokyo Dome with his new big league teammates. Standing across were some of baseball’s biggest stars, including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and, of course, Shohei Ohtani.

That can be a lot to handle for a 23-year-old. But the Cubs wouldn’t have put Shaw in that position if they didn’t believe he could handle such a rigorous introduction to the majors.

“Being a rookie is hard,” said Cubs manager Craig Counsell. “This is a hard league. But [Shaw] is ready for it. We can’t hide him from the challenge. He’s ready for it.”

On Thursday night, Shaw stood behind home plate at Chase Field in Phoenix, embracing the sights and sounds that come with MLB Opening Day before his team’s first stateside game of the season against the Diamondbacks. Coincidentally enough, while the first two games of his career took place in an unfamiliar territory, his domestic Opening Day happened somewhere he’s all too familiar with.

The Cubs’ player performance center is located just 14 miles away from downtown Phoenix. It was there Shaw honed his craft on the backfields. He took tireless swings in its cages and fielded endless groundballs on its fields, hoping one day it would pay off.

It wasn’t just a reminder of his lifelong achievement—it was a reflection of everything Cubs player development system did to help turn him from a first-round college draft pick out of Maryland into a starting major league third baseman.

“Any information they need, they’re willing to give you,” Shaw said of Cubs player development. “Whether it’s defensive or offensive. They’ve done a good job of showing me all that information. They showed me things that changed, whether they were good or bad.”

Shaw built an impressive pedigree during his career at Maryland, becoming the highest-drafted Terrapin in program history. He didn’t look like a prototypical shortstop, standing at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, but he powered his way through. He set the program’s all-time home run record with 53, won the 2023 Big Ten Conference player of the year award and took home the Cape Cod League MVP in 2022.

Shaw’s track record continued through his two years in the Cubs system. Last year, Shaw began the season at Double-A and moved to Triple-A Iowa in August. He hit .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 121 games.

However, Shaw’s long-term defensive placement was a looming question. He’d played second base during his freshman college season before switching to shortstop. His lack of arm strength labeled him as a fringe third baseman, leading Shaw to focus on that area the most during his time in the minors.

“Defensively is where I’ve grown the most,” Shaw said. “I feel really comfortable at third base, which is really exciting for me. The hitting stuff is always continuing to develop. But the defense is where I’ve made the most strides.”

Shaw’s career at the plate is off to a slow start, as he’s gone 2-for-13 in three games highlighted by his first-career he that he knocked during the second game of the Tokyo Series. Even so, he knows the challenges of playing in the big leagues are part of the process, and he remains focused on making adjustments.

“It’s the same game,” Shaw said. “Everyone’s going through the same struggles. Everyone has great days, everyone has bad days. You just have to stay as consistent as possible over the course of a 162-game season.

“Every single player, whether it’s Juan Soto or me, we’re trying to accomplish the same thing.”