White Sox sign former SF Giants first-round pick to minor-league deal

The Chicago White Sox have signed first baseman/left fielder Chris Shaw to a minor-league contract. Shaw appeared in the majors with the SF Giants in the 2018 and 2019 seasons before he was designated for assignment at the end of the 2020 season and claimed off waivers by the Orioles. He did not reach the big leagues with Baltimore.

The Giants drafted Shaw out of Boston College with the 31st overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft, the compensatory first-round pick the team received for the departure of third baseman Pablo Sandoval the previous offseason. Shaw quickly showed off his power potential at short-season ball, hitting 12 home runs in 46 games with a .287/.360/.551 triple-slash.

Shaw hit at least 20 home runs with an OPS north of .800 in each of the next three minor-league seasons, remaining a top-ten prospect in the Giants farm system throughout his ascent in the minors. Given San Francisco's struggle to acquire power hitters over the past decade, Shaw seemed well positioned to solidify a role with the Giants.

However, Shaw's aggressive approach at the plate left room for concern. While he remained productive throughout the minors, his strikeout and walk rates continued moving in the wrong direction. When he received his first big-league callup in 2018, Shaw hit .185/.274/.278 with 23 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances. The following year, while he remained productive at Triple-A, he went 1-for-18 with eight strikeouts in his brief MLB appearance.

The Orioles acquired Shaw following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but he struggled mightily in his return to the minors in 2021. Injuries limited him to just 24 games and he hit .067/.243/.150 between Triple-A and High-A.

Given his struggles, Shaw was forced to play Independent League baseball after he was released by Baltimore. In 2022, with the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes in the Atlantic League, Shaw hit .264/.401/.459 with 28 doubles and 17 home runs in 117 games. Clearly it got the White Sox attention.

Shaw has already been optioned to the minor leagues, meaning his contract does not include an invitation to Chicago White Sox big-league spring training. Nevertheless, the former SF Giants slugger will be back in the minor leagues in 2023.