The Chicago Cubs made top prospect Matt Shaw their Opening Day third baseman. By mid-April, he was sent back down to the minor leagues. On his way down to Triple-A Iowa, Shaw received some tough love from manager Craig Counsell.
“If you’re a major league baseball player, you’re going to face adversity, you’re going to struggle, and to realize that right around the corner is growth,” Counsell said on April 15. “That’s how you get better. So he’s gonna get better from this. He’s going to look back on this and say, ‘I learned a lot from that experience, and I learned a lot from the struggle or the adversity.’ And that’s how you have to take it.
“The game is great about presenting challenges to you constantly, and we don’t always get to like the challenge that’s put in front of us. Sometimes it’s a fun one, and sometimes it’s a tough one. And this is a tough one for him, but he’ll handle it great and be the player he knows he can be and that we expect him to be.”
Counsell made it clear that the Cubs still believe in him, but nobody is perfect. Shaw’s performance was not good enough to stick around at the MLB level, and it’s on him to start playing like the player the Cubs organization expects him to be.
Well, Shaw’s return to the minor leagues has not gone as planned thus far. He is seeing the ball better, as evidenced by his five walks compared to just one strikeout in 32 plate appearances, but he’s hitting just .192 when he’s stepped up to the plate and has a total of two extra-base hits. For a player who the Cubs deemed MLB-ready just one month ago, Shaw’s production against minor leaguers has been disappointing.
Matt Shaw isn’t giving the Cubs reason to promote him anytime soon
Shaw putting the ball in play at a high level has been promising, especially since he struck out in 26.5 percent of his plate appearances during his cup of coffee with the Cubs, but Counsell and Co. want to see more than what Shaw has provided. Sure, he has gotten on base a decent amount, but he’s hitting under .200 and displaying little power, much like during his time with the Cubs.
Given his struggles at Triple-A, it feels as if Shaw’s stay at that level won’t be a short one. Not only is he struggling, but Jon Berti has played fairly well in his place. It’s not as if the Cubs have a reason to rush Shaw back as long as they have a somewhat viable in-house replacement.
At this point, it’s on Shaw to turn things around if he wants to be given another chance by the Cubs. Nobody wants to get sent down less than one month after debuting, but the MLB level is a tough one to master. I mean, it took another former top prospect, Pete Crow-Armstrong, more than one MLB stint to finally start performing like the player the Cubs expect him to be.
Counsell doesn’t doubt that Shaw can play, but it’s on Shaw to prove that he deserves another chance. Early returns have been underwhelming on that front.
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