After a brutal first half, Matt Shaw simplified his swing, unlocked his power, and gave Jed Hoyer every reason to stand pat at third base.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw’s rookie year was a tale of two halves. Early on, he looked overmatched — by July, he was batting just .198 with two home runs and a .556 OPS across 63 games.
Cubs fans had every reason to wonder if the 23-year-old had been called up too soon. Did he need more time in the minors? Should Jed Hoyer explore a trade-deadline addition to cover third base?
But unlike most young hitters, Shaw didn’t wait until next spring to make adjustments. During the All-Star break, he went to work on his swing — and the difference showed immediately.
Shaw’s first-half mechanics featured a big leg kick from a closed stance, with his hands set low to generate torque. It looked unconventional — probably because it was — and led to plenty of inconsistent contact.
After the break, Shaw opened up his stance, quieted the front half of his body, and raised his hands higher in the load. The swing was simplified, the movement was reduced, and the contact was dramatically cleaner.
In the second half of the season — another 63-game sample — Shaw posted an .839 OPS, hit .258 with 11 home runs, 10 doubles, and 29 RBIs. His OPS+ climbed to 98, nearly league average, after sitting well below that at midseason.
Cubs fans should have every reason to believe the second-half version of Shaw is the one they’ll see moving forward.
His point of contact shifted earlier, allowing him to get out in front of pitches rather than letting them get too deep. He also adjusted his bat path to create a steeper attack angle — and managed to add power without sacrificing contact (via Brendan Miller).
While the Cubs need to improve this winter, third base might not be the place to spend. Shaw deserves a full runway of everyday at-bats to cement himself as part of Chicago’s long-term core.
He was already a plus defender at third, and even with a slow start at the plate, still managed a 1.4 fWAR rookie season. If the bat continues trending upward, Shaw profiles as a 4-5 win player — the kind of internal breakout that helps teams quietly level up.
One of the most underrated ways organizations improve in the offseason isn’t through free agency — it’s through development. If Matt Shaw takes that next step, he’ll join Nico Hoerner, Cade Horton, and Pete Crow-Armstrong as part of the Cubs’ young foundation for years to come.