Inside The Cubs

Watch: Cubs Superstar Prospect Matt Shaw Hits His First MLB Home Run

The Chicago Cubs top prospect just hit his first home run in the Major Leagues.

Cameron Zunkel

Mar 19, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Chicago Cubs second baseman Matt Shaw (6) rounds third base in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome.
Mar 19, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Chicago Cubs second baseman Matt Shaw (6) rounds third base in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Cubs made the bold decision to add their top prospect to the big league roster when they headed to Japan in mid-March.

Matt Shaw slotted right into the lineup and played third base for the Cubs. He did not have the best trip to Tokyo, but he did record his first Major League hit there.

Chicago is now stateside taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Shaw started the first two games of the series.

In those contests, the right-handed batter went 1-for-8, but he did score three runs.

Still, that was not the production he or the team were hoping he'd provide.

With four games under his belt already, manager Craig Counsell decided to give Shaw a bit of break and not start him Saturday night. However, the 23-year-old stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.

In that at-bat, Shaw blasted the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for the first home run of his big league career.

Immediately after hitting the home run, Shaw made an error at third base, so there is still more work for him to do defensively.

At the plate, though, the former first-round pick has an incredibly high ceiling.

He hit 29 home runs in 159 minor league games, showcasing he has a lot of power to his game.

He finally got his first home run, so he can relax a little bit after previously getting his first Major League hit under his belt.

With that, the Cubs are hoping there are plenty of homers to come throughout the rest of the year.

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Cameron Zunkel
CAMERON ZUNKEL

Cameron Zunkel is a sports writer from the western suburbs of Chicago. He played Division-II baseball at the University of Illinois at Springfield where he earned a masters degree in Communication. Cameron also played independent league baseball for the Joliet Slammers and Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League. He has been in journalism since 2022 and has a passion for baseball specifically, but he enjoys all sports. His other work includes writing sports betting articles for ClutchPoints. In his free time, you can catch Cam at the gym, on the golf course, or coaching the youth in the beautiful sport of baseball.

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