Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. |
SAN DIEGO – Matt Shaw was not sure how it was all going to play out for him after the Cubs signed star third baseman Alex Bregman over the winter. Once the trade rumors faded, Shaw still had to solve how he fit into the roster puzzle. As he adjusted to life as a super utility man in the spring, Shaw had to learn what size glove to obtain for the outfield. He had to borrow a first-base glove when the Cubs added that position to the pile. At the same time, Shaw was working on swing adjustments with the goal of achieving more consistency. Roughly a month into this season, it has become clearer how Shaw is being utilized. “It’s definitely good to know,” Shaw said. “It definitely was an adjustment figuring out my routines and things like that, but I feel like I’m in a good place now. … It’s nice coming to the park knowing about what it’s going to look like for that given day.” |
For the most part, Shaw can look ahead to when a lefty is on the mound for an opposing team and plan on being in the starting lineup. He has appeared in games in right field (13 games/11 starts), first base (two games/one start), second base (two games/one start), third base (two starts) and center (one start). Shaw has been in the lineup 16 times and entered as a substitute nine times, including seven pinch-hit appearances. With a deeper bench, manager Craig Counsell has been able to be aggressive with in-game maneuvering, and Shaw plays a key role not only for his skill as a hitter, but a defensive option all over the diamond. So far, Shaw has handled the new role well and thrived offensively in the process. “Matt showed in Spring Training, to me,” Counsell said, “that he was going to succeed in this role by kind of the way he took to everything we put in front of him. I don’t know if I’m really surprised by that. I think Matt passed that test for me in Spring Training. There’s still new things being put in front of Matt. And by nature, too – I mean, he’s a young player – there’s going to be new things put in front of you as a young player. “I think it’s gone as expected and kind of as we thought. I think the playing time has kind of been as expected. We’ll have injuries that will put him into more playing time – I’m sure of that. But so far, so good.” |
Through his first 25 games, the 24-year-old Shaw is batting .308 as a sub and .286 in his pinch-hit appearances, while slashing .286/.333/.460 with two homers, five doubles and nine RBIs overall. That comes after he posted an .839 OPS with 11 home runs in the second half last season. Beyond restructuring his daily routine based on whether he starts or comes off the bench – moving his program to mid-game when he is not in the lineup – Shaw said he has also worked on his mentality in the batter’s box. After being used to being the focal point of an offense for most of his baseball life, Shaw is better understanding the value in being a piece to a larger offensive puzzle within the Cubs’ deep lineup. “My whole life, I’m hitting third, and you have the pressure naturally from the game,” Shaw said. “I remember when I first got up [to the Majors], they were like, ‘It’s probably a good thing that all this weight is off your shoulders,’ but that was different for me. Now, it’s figuring out how to get myself in the mental space of, ‘This at-bat is important to the team.’ “That’s been probably the biggest thing I’ve learned. I'm reminding myself, ‘This at-bat is important.’ Sometimes, I just need a reason. I had to put myself back into that mindset. Now, I’m back to where I normally am, which is nervous, but excited and ready to go.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has 35 hits and 23 RBIs. Who was the last Cubs player to reach at least 35 hits and collect 25 or more RBIs in the March-April time period? A. Sammy Sosa B. Kris Bryant C. Derrek Lee D. Billy Williams |
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• A play so good, it had Hoerner smiling. Read more >> • Some numbers that powered 10-game streak. Read more >> • Cubs’ wild comeback runs win streak to 10 games. Read more >> • Riley Martin the latest Cubs reliever to hit the IL. Read more >> • Caleb Thielbar setback adds to Cubs’ injury issues. Read more >> |
“That was a very high-level baseball game [Friday] night. Whether you’re coaching or whether you’re playing, you recognize it. And it is a lot of fun. In the regular season, being here helps. Great atmosphere and things like that. But just the baseball on the field [Friday], how could you not just kind of marvel at some of the defensive things that happened on the field? It’s a game you could show why you love baseball.” – Counsell on Friday’s dramatic 6-4 win in Los Angeles |
‘KID K’ BOBBLEHEAD HIGHLIGHTS PROMOS |
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The Cubs wrap up their road trip with a three-game series with the Padres, but then return to Wrigley Field for a seven-game homestand against the D-backs and Reds. For the 1:20 p.m. CT game against Arizona on Saturday, the Cubs will be giving out a Kerry Wood bobblehead to the first 10,000 fans through the gates. Four days later will be the anniversary of Wood’s historic 20-strikeout game against the Astros on May 6, 1998. |
MORE PLACES TO FOLLOW ALONG |
First and foremost, thank you for subscribing to the Cubs Beat newsletter and for checking out all the coverage at Cubs.com and MLB.com. As an early-season reminder, you can also follow me over on Bluesky and Instagram (you can find me under “bastianmlb”). For anyone who prefers TikTok, I’ve also started an account there, too. |
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C. Derrek Lee Not only is Lee the last Cubs player to have a March-April with at least 35 hits and 25 RBIs, he is the only player to do that in club history. In the opening month of the 2005 season, Lee hit .419 (36-for-86) and had 28 RBIs for the North Siders. The former first baseman finished third in National League MVP voting that year. |
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