CHICAGO — When the Cubs sent Matt Shaw back to Triple-A Iowa a month ago, the idea was to have him focus on some subtle mechanical adjustments with his stance. It was also with the goal of having the highly touted prospect get back on the kind of offensive roll that can fuel confidence.
Shaw — MLB Pipeline’s top Cubs prospect and No. 18 on the Top 100 list — had been in that type of groove of late in Triple-A, looking poised for a return to the Majors. The Cubs had been closely monitoring the progress within his plate appearances, while cycling through a variety of players at third base with the MLB team in the interim.
And on Monday, the Cubs will bring Shaw back to the big club, a source told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. The club has not confirmed the move.
“He’s working on things and he’s starting to get results,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said over the weekend.
In his first 18-game taste of the Major Leagues at the start of this season, the 23-year-old Shaw hit .172/.294/.241 with one home run. That lone blast was a pinch-hit appearance in which Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly felt he saw the type of aggressiveness that Shaw displayed as he rapidly climbed the Minor League ladder.
Shortly before the Cubs optioned Shaw back to Triple-A on April 15, Shaw felt he had zeroed in on the tweaks he needed to make. The third baseman said his offseason preparation focused on being ready for higher velocity in the Majors, but that led to a ripple effect that impacted his timing and his posture in the batter’s box.
“You’re trying to blend, we’re trying to win games and we’re trying to put players in a good position to succeed,” Counsell said. “There’s a time we’re going to be able to say, ‘Yeah, it’s time to give this a shot again.’”
Shaw’s first five games back in Iowa included a 1-for-17 showing, but with five walks and only one strikeout. He then got on a hot streak, hitting .545 (12-for-22) in his next six games. Shaw has been producing steadily since that point, but with a recent, eye-popping surge. He had back-to-back games with two home runs on Thursday and Friday, including hitting a leadoff and walk-off blast in the same game.
“The messaging,” Kelly said, “was, ‘Let’s get back to just being really consistent with where you set up in the box and having your approach of, “I’m looking to do damage and I’m looking to drive the ball in the middle of the field.”’ The leg kick was part of that, monitoring the leg kick and making sure it’s not getting too high, trying to keep it within an acceptable range.
“But a lot of it was just, ‘Hey, go get back to driving the baseball.’ He had gotten a little passive here with some of his swing decisions. We know he can drive the ball to right field and right-center, but him pulling the ball in the air and doing some damage to the pull side is important, too.”
There was also just the goal of letting Shaw take a deep breath.
“Guys need a mental reset sometimes, too,” Kelly said. “The game moves fast here, and when you’re struggling and not getting the results, it starts to move even faster. So when you have the ability to send a guy down like that to get a little mental reset early in the year, and then get him back going again where we want it, the timing of that’s been good.”
