We (me, but I’ll include you) get into these posts in different ways. Some guys stats are just so undeniable; some guys are so close to the majors or have already debuted; some guys hit the ball 507 feet.
It goes on like that for a solid 12 pages of Google. Because I know you’re thirsty, I’ll show you the actual homer now:
Top 6 | BOOM ?
That’s a Shaw GRAND SLAM and the lead for the Terps
Terps 7, Iowa 6 pic.twitter.com/xSrsudEi9z
— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) March 31, 2023
That’s it. It’s with a metal bat into 30 MPH winds, and there’s no wild scream from the announcer indicating Matt Shaw hit the ball into orbit. 507-foot homer and it’s unofficially called that by someone named Big Donkey on Twitter. The official Terps account, quoting above, doesn’t even make mention of it. I am reticent to discount anything from a donkey, because A) We all love Donkey Teeth. B) Discounting a donkey makes a jackass out of you. C) There’s no C. How’sever, this feels a little akin to modern myth-making, he said alliteratively. It’s a modern day Paul Bunyan tale. Or akin to Pat Burrell’s exploits in college. Can we believe this is really a 507-foot blast by Matt Shaw? I don’t know. Does it matter? Harder question to answer. So, what can we expect from Matt Shaw for 2025 fantasy baseball?
Here’s a few more clips, less 507-foot-ish:
Matt Shaw shows off the speed ?
His triple makes it 4-2 #Cubs! pic.twitter.com/NcbRRNFF64
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 8, 2024
And uno mas so you can see him run some more:
.@Cubs 2023 first-round pick Matt Shaw with a 2-run triple! pic.twitter.com/sjVTF8fFxL
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 27, 2024
There’s a ton of clips of him. I will say this, the prospect community and Cubs fans already love Matt Shaw. Cool, good on them. There’s plenty of reasons to Shaw-hank your crank. He has 60-grade speed and power. His stats last year across Double and Triple-A were 21/31 and hit .298 in Triple-A with a 19.7 K% and 11.2 BB%. The 23-year-old can play 2B, SS and 3B and there’s a ton of clips of him playing solid 3rd. He’s also on the precipice of breaking with the club, after entering last Spring with an opportunity for a spot. There’s a ton to like here and zero reasons why he doesn’t break camp. Or is there?! Damn, Mr. Reversal, you scared the crap out of me.
So, I don’t want to be a hater, but I need a telestrator. I am a poet and aware of it. Look at those clips again of him swinging, notice anything? If I had a telestrator, I’d point out his leg kick. Who is he, Shawn Michaels? That’s a good way to get absolutely killed in the majors. Last guy who had a huge kick like that that I remember succeeding is Luke Voit. What’s that? He’s in the Mexican Leagues now? Okay. No, there are some guys who succeed with it, Joc Pederson comes to mind, Justin Turner, David Ortiz, though his was much faster. MLB pitchers can really exploit someone like Matt Shaw, if he doesn’t quicken his leg step. Though, quickening the leg kick, might make him a gap power guy. He could become a pull-only guy for power, but then he becomes–Hey, Isaac Paredes, where does Matt Shaw play? I guess Paredes can go to DH, Seiya goes to the outfield and, well, pause, the Cubs have a ton of bats. Matt Shaw can succeed, but I’m currently on the low side of what to expect from him. If he hits .214 in Spring Training this year, as he did last year, questions might start coming that the Cubs should trade him for an arm, then he can become a 10/20/.230 hitter on the Pirates. For 2025 fantasy baseball, I’ll give Matt Shaw projections of 38/7/41/.236/18 in 309 ABs with a chance for much more or much less.
