AP Photo/Erin Hooley

Matt Shaw Rewarding Cubs’ Faith as Team’s Best Hitter Since Break

Photo of Jacob Zanolla Jacob ZanollaAugust 21, 2025

Instead of acquiring a third baseman at the trade deadline, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs continued to show faith in Matt Shaw. What looked like a big risk at the time — Shaw had an 82 wRC+ with six homers and 0.5 fWAR at the end of July — has paid off in a big way since. Through 18 games in August, the rookie leads the team with a 1.023 OPS, five home runs, 10 runs scored, a 172 wRC+, and 0.6 fWAR.

For the sake of reference, the next-closest OPS on the team this month is the .695 posted by Ian Happ.

In addition to the numbers themselves, Shaw provides boundless energy to a team that has looked at times like it desperately needs a spark. Just watch how he legged out a triple on Tuesday night, setting up a run immediately after on a fielder’s choice by Michael Busch.

The Cubs came into this pivotal five-game set needing to win at least three games just to stay within sniffing distance of the division while protecting their Wild Card position. Shaw helped to give them a series lead on Tuesday, and his electric performance on Wednesday ensured a win against the Brewers in both this and the season series. After walking to load the bases and set Busch up once again for a bit blow, Shaw homered in the bottom of the 8th to provide necessary insurance.

And it’s not just his bat helping the Cubs win games, as he displayed clearly in Wednesday’s win. Defense at the hot corner had been a mess for a while as the team rotated between several options. Gage Workman was supposed to have a lockdown glove, but he and Jon Berti struggled before Shaw got a chance. After a shaky start, Shaw has settled down and become an excellent defender. He showed off his impressive range and athleticism in the 6th inning, making a barehanded play to help close out Colin Rea‘s effective outing.

Power has been a new development in Shaw’s game at the major league level. He hit plenty of longballs in the minor leagues, but only drove two balls out of the yard before the All-Star break. Since then, his nine home runs lead all NL third basemen and rank third overall in MLB. His latest came on a changeup from Jared Koenig, scoring the fourth run of the night for the Cubs.

The defensive highlights and home runs are fun, but Shaw’s most impressive plate appearance of the night came in the 3rd inning against Jacob Misiorowski. The lanky righty’s fastball averages around 100 mph and his slider (more like a cutter) sits around 94 mph. He’s a tough at-bat under normal circumstances, but Craig Counsell wanted Shaw to bunt. Owen Caissie and Dansby Swanson had already walked to open the inning, with Swanson’s free pass on four straight balls.

Misiorowski clearly didn’t have his best command, almost hitting Swanson in the head a few pitches before Shaw came to the plate. Naturally, the tall right-hander threw a running 100 mph fastball up and in that Shaw was able to bunt foul behind him. It was more of a defensive action than anything. There’s nothing more terrifying than getting a fastball near your head, but Shaw got right back in and prepared once again to bunt the runners over.

He was able to see 11 pitches, fouling off four straight before taking a curveball inside to earn his free base. Players work long plate appearances all the time, but Shaw’s approach against Misiorowski stood out. He saw five fastballs, four sliders, and two curveballs. The fastball hit an elite 2615 RPM, one of the most unhittable pitches in baseball.

Near the end of the PA, Misiorowski kept switching his pitches to keep Shaw off balance. Shaw fouled off a slider, a fastball, and two more sliders before letting the curveball go by. Wrigley was as loud as it’s been this season, but Shaw didn’t let the moment get to him. Instead of trying to do too much, he helped the lineup move station-to-station by displaying excellent plate discipline.

Busch followed Shaw’s hard-earned walk by taking advantage of Misiorowski’s lack of command, starting off with a 3-0 count. After watching a fastball go by, he drove a 98.1 mph four-seam fastball into left field to clear the bases and give the Cubs a 3-1 lead.

Having a player like Shaw on the team gives Counsell a lot more flexibility when it comes to constructing a lineup. He seems to like Shaw near the bottom of the order as of late, but that might change with the way he’s been hitting.

Photo of Jacob Zanolla Jacob ZanollaAugust 21, 2025
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