The Chicago Cubs have six prospects among the Top 100 in baseball going into 2024 Spring Training. But one prospect could see his fortunes soar in 2024.
MLB Pipeline recently put together several predictions for prospects for next season, and the Cubs figured prominently in the piece.
One question revolved around which Top 100 prospect would make the biggest jump in his ranking by the end of the 2024 season.
Matt Shaw is a shortstop who the Cubs took No. 13 overall in last July’s MLB Draft and he’s only played a smattering of professional games. But MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 96 prospect in all of baseball, and MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis believes Shaw is in for a huge jump.
Why? Callis explains that he was already one of the most prepared hitters in the draft and he’s only built on that in his short time in the Cubs’ system.
Incredibly, he thinks that Shaw’s bat may get him to Wrigley Field sooner rather than later:
A little of the risk with him is that he could hit his way into the Cubs lineup by midseason, in which case he’ll be off the list. They are crowded in the middle infield, obviously with Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson. I think he could wind up at third base. He could push Nico over to third and play second. That’s really my only concern with Matt Shaw -- that he graduates. He soars up the list and graduates.
That’s not so much a concern as it might be a bounty for the Cubs. Why?
Third base is a trouble spot for the team right now. Most of the players they have at the position right now either don’t have the bat or the glove for the position. Shaw certainly has the bat, and he flashed that in the minors last season, slashing .357/.400/.618/1.018 with nine doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 28 RBI.
If Shaw really could transition to third base and handle the hot corner defensively that would not only bolster Chicago’s offense but allow them to keep their Gold Glove middle infield together.
If Shaw soars that far that fast, he will have earned it.
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