Matt Shaw Continues Hyperspeed Evolution into Offensive Catalyst Cubs Need

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The halcyon days of the bottom of the Cubs batting order being an engine for the offense are drawing to a close. Pete Crow-Armstrong earned his way up to the middle of the lineup, which is the good kind of lost production from the lower third. Alas, the team has also seen the bad kind of diminished returns from that segment, as Miguel Amaya landed on the injured list and Carson Kelly has slowly regressed toward average.

Dansby Swanson (.243/.289/.388 over the last month), Justin Turner (.270/.349/.405 in the same timeframe, but in limited playing time), Nico Hoerner (.282/.333/.359 over the last month) and Michael Busch (who only bats there when he plays against left-handed pitchers, which you don't really want him to do) are the other main contributors in spots seven through nine for Craig Counsell each day. That group is holding its own, and you never expect the bottom third of the order to hit like the top third, anyway, but the team needs a bit more consistent punch in front of the likes of Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki than that motley crew has been able to provide. Thankfully, that's exactly what New Matt Shaw has delivered.

Since his return from his Iowa sojourn, Shaw is batting a scintillating .319/.356/.464. It's only been 73 plate appearances, but he's done everything well over the sample, and it's empowered the guys at the top of the order. Shaw's speed (seven steals in eight tries this year, all since being recalled last month) also makes him a pleasingly good traditional tablesetter.

If this were all happening merely because of good luck, you'd still take it. Kelly's binge to begin the year was a bit lucky, but you don't look such gift horses in the mouth. In this case, though, the news is even better than that. Shaw, the team's top prospect when the season began and one of their most important young players, has materially improved, including making a secondary set of adjustments in the last two weeks after the initial round of them he made during his reset with Triple-A Iowa.

Let's take a look at where Shaw set up in the batter's box in his first stint, back in March and April. I've also captured the placement of his feet when the pitcher releases the ball (the blue footprints, as opposed to the black ones showing his initial stance).

We knew about this issue, but you can see it clearly here. Shaw is way off the plate; starts in a very closed position; and only turns himself farther away from the ball with his initial stride. Here, for the record, is where he ends up at the contact point, to show the distance his stride leg has to cover after that elaborate leg kick.

Now, as we've previously chronicled, Shaw came back in May with a different plan. He was a bit deeper in the box (farther from the pitcher, closer to the catcher), but also a bit closer to the plate. That was an important change. His leg kick also reflects a very slightly more open setup, because he's actually slightly moving forward by the time the pitcher releases the ball.

It's not hard to see why he can succeed more from this position, especially when you keep in mind that he's a short guy. He was too far from the plate to cover it well in April, save by striding far toward it and cutting himself off—which, in turn, cost him bat speed. That problem was ameliorated by the time he came back in mid-May, but not fully eliminated. He's still striding a bit closed here. As you can see, he's contacting the ball a bit deeper relative to the front of home plate, but he's also getting it just a bit (about an inch and a half) farther in front of his own body than he was before his demotion. This version of Shaw is in better position to cover the zone, but not yet in great position to do damage. He's still catching it too deep, and his bat speed didn't improve in May. It was 68.2 miles per hour in March and April and 68.5 mph in May.

Now, though, let's look at what he's doing in June. Here's where he sets up, and where his foot is at release.

Once again, Shaw has gotten noticeably closer to the plate. He's also more open in his setup, though, and there's been another timing change. His stride is coming forward more by the time the pitcher lets the ball go, so he's opening up more and getting out there after the ball sooner. The resulting contact point and final stride coordinates tell the full story.

Shaw's contact point has moved almost six full inches forward, relative to his own body, relative to March and April. Being more open and striding straighter has meant not only moving forward sooner, but swinging faster: all the way up to 70.8 mph. His swing has more tilt. He's pulling the ball more, and with more loft. This is a hitter who, while still not long on over-the-fence power, can be genuinely dangerous.

That doesn't mean Shaw won't go through another difficult round of adjustments. In all likelihood, he will. However, he's made a major breakthrough here, and it's his second in as many months. That's the kind of rapid adaptation that leads a hitter to have success even very early in their big-league career.

Hoerner's lack of power and the somewhat stiff, unathletic games of the other players consigned to that bottom third of the order make Shaw's emergence as a sparkplug in that section vital to the team's offense. While they remain significantly diminished by pitching injuries, they have the firepower to work around that problem—as long as they keep getting big contributions from players like Shaw. This multi-phase evolution into a dynamic offensive player is a great sign for the short- and long-term future, not only for Shaw but for the Cubs as a whole. Shaw is still a shaky defensive third baseman, but if he can provide this kind of offense, it won't matter very much. The team just needs him to stay this eager and able to adjust.

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[Connor McConnor]

I know it's article about his offense, but his Defense has been spectacular at times, and he handles the routine stuff as he should.  Really rooting for him, he could be really special.    

[We Got The Whole 9]

That barehand play he made in the 9th was filthy. We haven't had a guy play 3B like this since Javy did it for a stretch. He looks like a natural.