After Several Adjustments at Break, Matt Shaw Proving Hot Stretch Isn’t Fluke

In this age of quick fixes and the need to get results yesterday, it’s easy to forget that the answer may be as simple as slowing down. Rather than dive headfirst into a bunch of mechanical tweaks during the All-Star break, Matt retreated to a quiet family lake house and took a little time to relax. When he got back to work, it was a matter of putting himself in a better position to take advantage of his body’s natural movement patterns.

That meant standing up a little taller, which is more fitting for an aerial mover, and raising his hands higher. The third baseman also opened his stance a little bit to better align his hips and give him a better sightline to the pitcher. He even switched to a torpedo bat, which could be as much about superstition as it is an actual fix, per se. For the most part, though, it’s all about finding what’s comfortable.

“Matt’s always going to be a bit of a tinkerer mechanically,” Craig Counsell explained. “It’s going to look different from time to time. We’ve seen enough different stances this year that you know you’re going to see that throughout his career. But it’s just this journey of getting better. He’s comfortable trying new things and hearing new things to make him better. If you keep doing that, whether it looks a little bit different some days, that’s great.”

In addition to his mechanics, Shaw adjusted his mindset to be more aggressive at the plate. What had been a bunch of backside doubles started turning into pulled fly balls that left the yard. He came out of the break with four homers in eight games and has now hit three in his last four games. Those seven dingers lead the team in the second half and are as many as his next two teammates combined (Ian Happ – 4, Michael Busch – 3). And it’s not just a matter of accidentally running into a few barrels.

In 63 plate appearances since making those additional adjustments, Shaw is slashing .328/.349/.770 with a 208 wRC+ and 1.0 fWAR. You’ll take the decreased on-base numbers when everything else either leads the team or is right near the top over the last few weeks. Of course, it’s also fair to say that Shaw being the Cubs’ best hitter out of the nine-hole in the second half says as much about the overall offensive performance as it does his surge.

What might be more important in the long term is how Shaw stacks up against Cam Smith, whom the Cubs traded to Houston as part of the Kyle Tucker deal. The initial reaction was that the front office should have swapped the two corner men, as Smith got off to a much better start. While the overall numbers still favor Smith, who is about a year and a half younger, Shaw could very well finish the season ahead in several categories.

Shaw already has two more homers and is closing in elsewhere, then you consider that he’s played exceptional defense at third base. Smith was moved to right field and has acquitted himself pretty well out there, though it does put a bit of a hitch in the comparison. On the other hand, it might tell us that he would not have been the answer at third had he remained in the Cubs organization.

Setting aside any comps to his current teammates or former fellow prospects, the point is that Shaw has worked through a couple of tough patches and come out a better player. It’s not dissimilar to how Pete Crow-Armstrong came out of the gate in 2023 and the start of last season. Not all players can handle adversity very well, particularly when all they’ve ever known is success from being the best player on the team at every step of their career.

“We should all be really proud of what Matt’s done this year,” Counsell told reporters after Sunday’s loss. “In terms of being kind of hit in the face with the big leagues and how tough it is and how tough it is to be a hitter in this league — and to survive it. The resiliency to continue to search and know success is in there is an important trait.”

Those who can fight through it with humility and perspective may have more staying power in a game that rewards perseverance over flashes of brilliance. The latter is what we’ll always pay more attention to, and those should continue for Shaw as a result of the hard work he’s put in.

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