The Chicago Cubs have done a lot this offseason to fill the holes on their roster.
Additions have been made in the bullpen, in the starting rotation, at catcher, and in the area of overall depth. They’ve even added a true elite-level impact player in Kyle Tucker in right field.
The one question mark left after an active offseason, though, is at third base.
There’s most definitely a favorite in the race to man the hot corner– top prospect Matt Shaw– even though Cubs front office and coaching staff are playing things cool with a “we’ll see who earns the position” public stance.
Hopes And Expectations Of Matt Shaw
No doubt, the hope is that the 23-year-old Shaw, who was drafted in 2023 and has played himself through every level of the farm system, will prove himself ready to be the team’s every day third baseman.
MLB analyst Keith Law of The Athletic believes in Shaw and places him firmly atop his list of MLB rookies likely to have an impact in the 2025 season.
Per Law:
“Shaw appears to be the leader to win the third-base job in Chicago this year, and they’ve been working toward creating a path for him at least since the summer, although their quixotic pursuit of Alex Bregman would have changed Shaw’s placement on this list had they succeeded. (I don’t think he would have been enough of an upgrade over Shaw to justify the extra expense.) Shaw makes a lot of high-quality contact, and he’s hit all the way up through Triple A, showing the ability to hit the best pitching he’s faced so far.
We’ve seen plenty of elite hitting prospects scuffle on their first exposure to major-league pitching in the past couple of years, so I won’t guarantee anything here. I think of all of the guys on this list who are likely to make an Opening Day roster, Shaw has the best chance to hit enough to have a real impact this year, with a .350 OBP and 15-18 homers a reasonable target for his rookie season.”
The Chicago Cubs Reality
The reality with Shaw is that there’s just not a large enough body of work when it comes to his next-level abilities to really guarantee anything. The talent is obviously there, especially on offense where the MLB scouting report on him says he has “no discernible weakness” at the plate.
At third base, however, there’s just a lot of hoping for the best. After all, he’s only played 88 games at the position, total, through both the minors and college.
Mike Scioscia, who managed Shaw in the Premier12 tournament this winter, spoke glowingly of Shaw’s overall ability and, specifically, his improving defensive prowess:
“He had the opportunity to work with two of the best infield coaches that we have in the United States — Dino Ebel and Keith Johnson. The work they put in with Matt — it paid off quickly. You saw him play great defensive third base in this tournament. It’s a newer position for him, but with the Cubs, I think that’s where they’re projecting him to play as he gets in the major leagues…On the defensive side, he improved so much in just one month. On the offensive side, I think you saw his ability to drive the ball to all parts of the ballpark, and he runs the bases well. He’s got a great future.”
The Right Man At The Right Time?
Reports on the young player’s mental makeup support the belief that he can handle the pressure. And, for what it’s worth, he’s saying all the right things.
Per Shaw, via The Athletic:
“There’s pressure no matter where you are. I look forward to it. Everyone’s going to fail sometimes. You look up around the entire big leagues — whether it’s the best of the best or new guys like myself — you find that everybody struggles from time to time. It’s just being able to minimize that, move past it and just accept it for what it is. That’s part of the game.”
Right now, the priority is to slowly nurse Shaw back from a lingering oblique issue and get him some real playing time at third. From there, it’s all on the top prospect to win his place on the major league roster.
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