Matt Shaw refines his approach with a new leg kick, showing immediate impact in spring training with a sharp single and stolen base.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Chicago Cubs this offseason was how Matt Shaw was going to look offensively this season.
Shaw had a very up-and-down offensive season in his rookie year. He batted .226 with 13 home runs, 21 doubles, 44 RBI, and 17 stolen bases across 126 games and spent some of the first half down in the Triple-A.
The Cubs were consistently tweaking his approach at the plate, especially reducing his leg kick. The leg kick was less prominent in the second half, which helped Shaw’s overall numbers in the final two months. He slashed .258/.317/.522 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI over the final 63 games.
With a full offseason now to work with Shaw, the Cubs were going to tweak some things. That appeared to be the case, as the 24-year-old displayed a new leg kick in his first Spring Training game.
The Cubs definitely worked with him in the offseason to reduce that leg kick even more. His new approach has his front leg hovering, and his overall approach at the plate looks cleaner. This small tweak looks to be helping Shaw early on.
In his first Spring Training plate appearance, Shaw singled on a 95 mph fastball that was out of the zone. He stayed locked in, went down to get that fastball, and connected with a 107.4 mph exit velocity.
Shaw then immediately stole second base, which is an underrated part of his game. He stole 17 bases in the Majors last year and had a 31-stolen-base season back during his last full Minor League season in 2024.
Shaw looked good at the plate in his first Spring Training game. He singled in his first at-bat, had a hard lineout in his second at-bat, and drew a seven-pitch walk in his third at-bat. The reduced leg kick could help him be more consistent this year.
Shaw also got his first professional start in the outfield on Saturday. Manager Craig Counsell said earlier this week that he would see “a lot of playing time in the outfield” this season. So, fans should expect Shaw to get plenty of outfield reps this spring.
He started in right field in Saturday’s Spring Training game and looked solid in his limited opportunities out there. He caught his first fly ball in the fourth inning.
“You want action, you want weird plays,” Counsell told reporters in Arizona before the game. “Those are the experiences that make you better and cause growth. And the best way to the best way to do it is just have innings out there."