Matt Shaw: Cubs 2024 Minor League Player Of The Year
Two months into the season, Matt Shaw’s swing felt a little off.
The 22-year-old third baseman wasn’t staying connected with his swing. He got on the phone with Maryland head coach Matt Swope, who was the hitting coach for three seasons with the Terrapins.
A 15-minute conversation in May cleaned up some of Shaw’s mechanics. An ensuing chat with a member of the Cubs organization helped Shaw mentally get back on track with his approach, particularly for sitting on pitches and zones.
That feedback got Shaw on track at Double-A Tennessee.
“He made a commitment to somewhat reduce the overall amount of swings he takes, or at least be more selective, and that’s a positive development for any hitter as they make their way towards the big leagues,” Cubs farm director Jason Kanzler said.
“We do need to see selective aggression, and he fully embraces that sort of goal. He’s just a unique and really good problem solver, and when we tell him to work on things, or to do things, he’s bought into them being the right things to work on.”
Over the next four months, Shaw feasted at the plate, with an OPS well north of .900 at Double-A and then Triple-A Iowa.
In 121 games, Shaw hit .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases.
After being part of big league camp for the first time this spring, Shaw felt it was important to emulate the little things he witnessed the major leaguers do on a daily basis, things like backing up bases, holding baserunners and being locked in on the bases.
Kanzler believes two of Shaw’s best attributes—his IQ on the bases and competitive fire—don’t appear in the box score.
“Winning and being in a winning environment and beating the other team and beating the problem in front of him seems to be in his DNA,” Kanzler said. “He loves to win and he hates to lose, I personally love those kinds of qualities.
“He pushes his teammates to be better as well because he has standards beyond just his own play.”
