Fantasy Baseball: Elite Prospect Matt Shaw Promoted By Cubs After Red Hot AAA Stretch
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After success over three seasons (.320/172/53/166/37 over 693 at-bats) at Maryland, the Cubs selected Shaw 13th overall in the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft. Chicago gave him 38 games over three levels in the minors in 2023, leading to a .357 batting average with 27 runs, eight home runs, 28 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.
Shaw has 145 games of experience between AA and AAA in 2024 and 2025, leading to a .285 batting average with 100 runs, 27 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases over 534 at-bats, highlighting his impact fantasy value once Shaw finds his stroke in the majors.
In the minors, his average hit rate (1.750) is close to a 30-home-run hitter with 550 at-bats. Shaw had a favorable approach (strikeout rate – 16.3 and walk rate – 11.0), inviting a quick move up the batting order for the Cubs once his bat shows life.
Chicago is calling Shaw up on Monday after elite success over his last nine games at AAA (12-for-35 with 14 runs, five home runs, nine RBIs, and three steals) with a much-improved approach (five walks and three strikeouts).
The Cubs are recalling Matt Shaw from Triple-A Iowa.
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) May 19, 2025
Shaw has 15 hits, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 10 BB & is batting .286 in last 10 games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Afa8DKrETK
After making Chicago's opening day roster in 2025, Shaw underperformed expectations over his first 18 games (.172/11/1/3 over 58 at-bats with 10 walks and 18 strikeouts). His bat has difference-maker upside in five categories, making him a wise pickup in all formats.
In fantasy leagues with an open waiver period during the week, where the quickest to the computer wins the game, Shaw is a must add for teams with weakness at 3B, CO, or DH. If you are reading this, there’s a good chance he was already scooped up in many leagues.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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