Has Matt Shaw OFFICIALLY arrived, ladies and gentlemen? After a rough start to his first season in the Majors, is the Cubs’ 2023 1st-round pick ready to cement himself into the team’s Major League roster? Does the University of Maryland product have what it takes to become the team’s primary third baseman moving forward?

Well, if his first series against the Marlins was any indication of what’s to come;

Matt Shaw in his first series back-

5/11, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 total bases, 2 SB pic.twitter.com/VSFhhbOfDM

— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) May 21, 2025

The initial answer to that question is……ABSOLUTELY!

Shaw, for those of you who may have forgotten, originally made the Opening Day roster coming out of Spring Training. His unique ability to spread the ball across the ballpark, plus the fact that the team is lacking quality depth at third base, made him the perfect candidate to be called up at that time.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for the team’s #1 overall prospect. Through 18 games, Shaw would go on to post a rather disappointing .172 BA to go along with a .535 OPS. He ended up becoming more of a detriment to the team than anything, and would eventually be sent back to Iowa to work out the kinks.

But thankfully, in roughly a month’s time, the young infielder was able to find his swing again. In just 24 games with Iowa, he was able to compile a slash-line of .286/.560/.970 to go along with six home runs and 14 RBIs. It was such a drastic turn around, and with the Cubs still having problems at third……they just HAD TO bring him up again.

It was a necessary move, and after his first series back against the Marlins…..it looks like it paid off, BIG TIME. In his 11 ABs against Miami, Shaw was able to bat .455 with three doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored. He also showed off his electricity on the base paths, swiping two bags on the road trip as well.

Simply put; Matt Shaw’s bat seems like it’s back. But can he sustain this upward trend, based on this small sample size?

The short answer; yes, he certainly can. A player with Shaw’s natural abilities is one of a kind, and he has shown us that in Triple-A these past two years. But his old swing…..it needed a face lift. The old “crouching tiger, hidden bat” routine may have worked in the minors. But at the big-league level, it allowed opposing pitchers to easily blow balls by him at an alarming rate.

Matt Shaw just sent his first Triple-A home run to the MOON!!!#Cubs | #YouHaveToSeeIt
pic.twitter.com/YlPjv7LhOK

— Kellen Sherman – Backup Account (@MWBarflyGazette) August 17, 2024

It just wasn’t working at the next level. But after watching the Marlins series……it looks like he cleaned things up a bit. When you see him standing in the batter’s box, he looks a lot more upright, with less of the number on his back showing to the camera. Not only that; he seems more balanced and concentrated on contact, instead of bundling all of his energy up to go for power.

matt shaw? matt shaw. pic.twitter.com/zfJESapX1W

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 20, 2025

It’s a great sight to see from the kid. Hopefully he can keep consistently hitting at the top level, because we CERTAINLY need it. Third base has been a woeful position to fill in 2025, and we need someone like Shaw to come save us.

But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.