Former Maryland baseball star Matt Shaw moved closer to his lifelong dream than ever before on July 9, 2023, when the Chicago Cubs selected him with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
The former All-American shortstop for the Terps had made it a lifelong goal to play in the big leagues. Growing up in Brimfield, Mass., with a baseball field in his back yard fueled his dream, and it was there that he developed his relentless work ethic.
Shaw’s desire to continue improving is evident through his collegiate baseball career. But that tenacity became even greater once his name was called.
“Of course, I was extremely blessed and excited about getting drafted,” Shaw said. “But I know that I’m here continuing to grow and learn. It doesn’t stop here. I realized how much was ahead of me and that I needed to continue to grind every day to be in a good position.”
Shaw made his MLB debut in Tokyo against the Dodgers this year on March 18, realizing his dream after proving himself for three seasons in the minor leagues. However, his transition to the big leagues didn’t go as anticipated.
Playing in 18 of the Cubs’ first 19 games as the team’s third baseman, Shaw batted just 10-for-58 (.172) with 10 runs and three RBIs. He was subsequently sent back down to the minors on April 14, nearly a month after making his debut.
Shaw played in 24 games for Triple-A Iowa before being recalled to the majors on May 19. He has since started the Cubs’ last 18 games and drastically improved his numbers.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound infielder is hitting 21-for-65 (.323) with 11 runs, 5 RBIs and 7 stolen bases since being recalled, entering play on June 9. He also recorded back-to-back multi-hit games in his first two games back and even helped the Cubs to a walk-off win against the Rockies with a single in the 11th inning on May 27.
“I learned a lot from that first stint in the big leagues,” Shaw said. “It gave me some perspective on who I wanted to be and what I was looking forward to at that level. Going back down to Triple-A and getting back on track, getting back to being myself, was helpful. … I needed a little bit of a break, and I also needed to make some adjustments to get back on track.”
Shaw’s mindset on the day he was drafted, paired with his background as an under-recruited player who earned every one of his successes, prepared him for his second chance. When faced with the biggest challenge of his career to date, he fell back on who he is.
Maryland was the only Power Five school to offer Shaw a scholarship out of high school. Current Maryland baseball coach Matt Swope saw Shaw’s talent when he was the program’s hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at a Prep Baseball Future Games showcase in Indiana.
“I just liked the way he played the game,” Swope said. “I saw his motor, how he went about it and his diligence. … When I got him on the phone, it was his demeanor. He’s someone who doesn’t do anything without intention, and you can hear that in his personality. He was just always very impressive on the telephone and very intentional in what he did on and off the field.”
Despite Swope’s belief in Shaw, the infielder still had to earn his way into the starting lineup. Then-coach Rob Vaughn promised Shaw an opportunity to compete for a starting nod, but it was up to him to earn it.
Shaw went on to start 167 of a possible 173 games in a Maryland uniform from 2021-2023, cementing himself as one of the best in program history. He ended his career sporting a .320 batting average along with 53 home runs, 166 RBIs and 172 runs. The latter three marks rank first, second and third in program history, respectively.
As a senior, Shaw received the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the best shortstop in college baseball. That same season, he was a consensus first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Maryland had the team success to match. The Terps won their first Big Ten championship with a regular-season title in 2022. They later won their first Big Ten Tournament championship in 2023. Overall, Shaw was part of three straight NCAA Tournament teams, a feat the program had never accomplished.
Shaw preached consistency as his key recipe for success. He has maintained the same approach day in and day out, and it has netted renewed success.
“I think consistency is definitely one of the best things I could ever tell anybody,” Shaw said. “Anyone can have a great month. Anyone can work out six times a day for a week. But how many people can do that over one year, five years or ten years? The people who can be consistent over a long period of time end up being successful.”
This originally ran on umterps.com.
Photo Credit: Ian Cox/Maryland Athletics