The Cubs choose third baseman Matt Shaw Report to Keith Law, Triple-A, Iowa. This is part of a bigger move conveyed by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Infielder Vidal Bruján Recovered from the 10-day list of injuries. In terms of pitching, the club recalls left-handed Luke little And right-handed Daniel Palencia. To make these two spaces, Nate Pearson Also selected as Iowa, correct Eli Morgan It has been placed on the IL for 15 days due to an elbow impact.
Shaw, 23, became one of the most important prospects in the league. The club clearly thinks he deserves a deal in the Grand Slam. Isaac Paredes As part of Astros Kyle Tucker Offseason trading. This doesn't guarantee that Xiao has a spot on the list on the opening day, but it opens a door for him and he goes. He cracked the club's roster before the Tokyo Series and has been their regular third baseman until now.
The results are mixed together. So far, he has been walking in 14.7% of his 68 sets of appearances, but he has also been hit with 26.5% of the clips. His batting line temperature is .172/.294/.241, although the ball averages hit the ball averaged .231. This number is on the unfortunate side, but Xiao is not paying much benefit in putting good wood on the ball. Each Statcast, he averaged an average hourly exit speed of 82.7 miles in the second percentile of a qualified MLB batsman. His tough speed is the fifth percentage point, his bat speed is the tenth, and his barrel speed is 15. His defense also has some greetings. So far, he has encountered four errors in 141 innings at third base.
When he destroyed the minor league pitching, all of this was certainly less than the Cubs hoped. After being selected as the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Xiao entered 159 minor league games between the draft draft and the end of the 2024 season. For 157 WRC+, his walking rates were 10.2% and 17.3%, respectively, while slashing .303/.384/.522. 35 of these games were last year’s third-level, with him reaching .298/.395/.534, a case he prepared for his major league debut.
Xiao is another example of the highest prospect, he didn't immediately click on the major league level. While some people may be pounding the Shaw “bust”, this kind of thing is actually quite common. A classic example is Mike Trouthe hit .220/.281/.390 in his first 135 set appearance in 2011. It cannot be assumed that when you first arrive at the professional, the prospect will succeed immediately, nor does it mean that they will never find success.
Given his struggle, sending a shark in a vacuum is defensive. But outside of the vacuum, it is not clear that pups can be a better option for hot horns. Bruján has .189/.261/.270 hitting line in his career. Justin Turner Have a lot of third base experience, but now I am 40 years old. He has been more of a first base/designated batsman in recent years, with Hot Corner having only 90 innings since the end of the 2022 season. This year, he is still struggling on the plate and so far his struggle is .172/.286/.172. Jon Bertie He is a 35-year-old senior utility person. Gage Workers Is a rule 5 guy who has only participated in ten sets so far this year and has been beaten out in five of them.
This may be just a short-term situation, and Shaw will be backing up with the major league club soon. How long does it take for his return is important to him and the club. By cracking the opening day lineup, he is working hard to get a full year of service in 2025. This means arbitration eligibility for free agents after 2027 and after 2030. The major league season is 187 days, but it only takes 172 days for a player to earn a full year record on the major league or injury list. Xiao may also be eligible for arbitration after 2027, even if he can reach super two statuses in less than three years.
If Shaw does not return soon, these schedules will be pushed into the next year. This will also eliminate the possibility that the Bears will acquire additional draft picks through potential client promotion incentives. Under PPI rules, teams can earn additional draft picks by carrying the highest prospect on the roster, enough to win a full service year. The Cubs initially put it on the table, which was by giving Shaw the opening day job, but if he was disappointed for a few weeks, it would no longer apply.
Photo courtesy of Sergio Estrada, Imagn Images
