Chicago Cubs Rising Star Heaps Effusive Praise on Franchise's Top Prospect

The development of the Chicago Cubs farm system has been impressive in recent years, and their top prospect has garnered praise on multiple occasions.

Chicago Cubs infielder Matt Shaw at bat in the bottom of the third during a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have done a quality job adding to their farm system in recent years, developing talents who can soon enough be contributing at the MLB level. The Cubs have had a chance to see what the potential looks like on many of their top prospects this spring, including their No. 1 player in the farm system, infielder Matt Shaw.

While Shaw has had a tough time getting hits during spring training, he has been relatively strong in other categories. He has been making contact with the ball, as he only has one strikeout in 12 at-bats. He has been solid in the field so far, and he has been doing better at pitch recognition in more recent plate appearances.

This was evident in their recent game against the Seattle Mariners, as Shaw drew a walk in a bases-loaded situation during the third inning, whic set up a Pete Crow-Armstrong grand slam immediately afterward. These combined plays swung the score from a 4-2 deficit for Chicago to a 7-4 Cubs lead.

Crow-Armstrong talked about Shaw after the game, as reported by Marquee Sports Network, saying the following about that play and his thoughts on the young prospect:

"Matty was clearly locked in, but, I mean that's the kind of stuff that you get excited about," he said. "I don't have that opportunity necessarily if he doesn't have that at-bat, and I will feel very confident hitting behind Matt Shaw all year if it is his time to be a part of our lineup."

This is a strong endorsement from a player who was in Shaw's shoes not long ago as a minor leaguer, and with both players being nearly the same age, they may be the cornerstone pieces to the franchise for the foreseeable future.

Crow-Armstrong making it clear that he would feel confident hitting behind Shaw in the lineup is something that may well happen this upcoming season.

Current Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty also had high praise for the prospect recently, which is a good sign for the impression he is making around the clubhouse.

The hype around top prospects is always fun to watch play out, and Shaw showed his value last season in Triple-A Iowa, putting up .298/.395/.534 slash lines, with 21 RBI, 18 runs, seven home runs, and 30 strikeouts to 17 walks in 35 games. His MLB debut is not far away, and when it comes, he clearly will have the backing of players and coaches alike.