Living Out His Dream

There’s nothing Matt Shaw dislikes more than wasted time. 

As one of MLB’s top prospects, the infielder has surrounded himself with worthwhile experiences and individuals to get to the position he’s in. Like anyone else, he’s made sacrifices to achieve this. One thing he’s eliminated from his everyday life is social media. If one were to look up his name on the internet, they would see countless headlines mentioning his name, but not a single Instagram, Facebook or X account attributed to him.  

“It was just something that, to me, wasn't beneficial in any way, I didn't really enjoy [and ] I could tell it's very easy to waste time on,” Shaw said. “One of the biggest reasons that I got rid of social media was a commitment to baseball, what was my girlfriend at the time and now my fiance, and to being there for my family.”

Shaw will not associate with it if it won’t help him become a better baseball player. His often vanilla personality may come off tiresome to some, but it’s led him to where he is now — nearing a highly anticipated professional debut with the Chicago Cubs. Shaw is officially on deck. 

“I always loved baseball a lot,” Shaw said. “I always wanted to be a professional baseball player. From as long as I can remember, that was my belief and excitement about baseball. It didn't fully come to fruition until many years later, a lot of time and effort and going through some ups and downs, but it was always something I believed in and something that I really wanted to do.”

.413 Come Up

Growing up in Brimfield, Massachusetts, Shaw was a three-sport athlete, playing baseball, basketball and soccer. But baseball was always the sport he had a different love for. 

“There was always something about baseball that I really loved,” Shaw said. “I think it was definitely the most unique of the three and probably the most difficult. … As long as I can remember, maybe five years old and on, baseball was what I wanted to do.”

Shaw's love for the sport grew even more when his father turned the backyard of his home into a baseball field. The house is on roughly 90 acres, and the field features a dirt infield, a mound, three bases, and a plate. This is where Shaw, his brothers and his friends spent countless hours daily.  

Shaw’s father, James, was the first in the immediate family to dream of playing professional baseball. He came up short of that lofty goal. So he shifted his focus to teaching his three sons about the sport he loved. He built the diamond as part of that plan.

“Baseball has been able to bring everybody together,” Shaw’s mother, Chris, told The Diamondback.

Shaw attended Worcester Academy for his junior and senior years of high school. As a junior, he helped lead the baseball team to a school-record 16 wins. He even led the soccer team to its first-ever state championship as a senior. Shaw, a midfielder, was voted team MVP of that squad, which featured six upperclassmen who committed to playing Division I soccer. 

According to Jim McNamara, his former high school head baseball coach, Shaw was in the batting cage getting in extra work the morning of the soccer team’s championship game. 

Shaw credits another of his coaches, Mike Lyon, with being the first to teach him the ins and outs of hitting. Lyon was Shaw’s travel coach from age 10. He is an alumnus of Northeastern University and spent time with the New York Yankees’ organization from 2009-10. 

Lyon’s expertise helped Shaw improve drastically during his junior baseball season. It couldn’t have come later, as he didn’t have a senior baseball season because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Although a late bloomer, he remained committed to his craft by constantly receiving instruction from his coach. Lyon remains close with Shaw. When Shaw periodically returns home, they train together.

“It’s almost impossible to teach that competitiveness, that want, that desire,” Lyon told The Diamondback. “That’s just something you’re either born with, or maybe it develops early in your life.”

.413 To The .301 

Maryland was the only Power Five institution to offer Shaw out of high school, as he was still ranked outside of the top 500 nationally ranked prospects, according to Perfect Game. But even its interest was a byproduct of Matt Swope, the Terps’ then-hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, being in the right place at the right time. 

Shaw attended a Prep Baseball Future Games showcase in Indiana, where Swope was present. His versatility and athleticism caught the attention of Swope and other coaches. Not to mention that he batted .341 with eight home runs in 11 contests. 

“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.”

Northeastern, George Mason, and Xavier were among the other schools that expressed interest in Shaw during and after the tournament. Many things attracted Shaw to College Park. However, the two most significant factors were Maryland’s coaches' commitment to getting to know him as an individual and head coach Rob Vaughn’s transparency about his opportunity to play immediately. 

“One of the biggest things that I remember asking Rob was if I am going to be able to earn the opportunity to play as a freshman here,” Shaw said. “He gave me my fair opportunity to play, and the rest was up to me to obviously earn that spot. But that's all I could ask for, especially going to a bigger program.”

Shaw took his opportunity and ran with it, becoming a day-one starter. He says Swope’s attention to detail, mindset, focus and care for learning and growing as a coach matched well with his characteristics and desire to become the best player he could be. Shaw went on to have one of the best careers in Maryland baseball history.

In his three years from 2021-23 as a Terp, the infielder finished with a .320 batting average, 53 home runs, 166 RBIs and 172 runs. Those latter three marks rank first, second and third in program history, respectively. 

As a senior, he 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 named 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.  

“I definitely look back with no regrets and really happy about how everything worked out,” Shaw said. “We had three great teams there. … I got to play with a lot of really great players and people, some I'm still in contact with now. I look back and think of all the friendships I made and obviously, the great baseball we played. I wouldn't change anything if I could.”

Imminent In The .312 

Shaw’s prowess earned him the Cubs' No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He will never forget the day it unfolded on July 9 at his home in Massachusetts. He shared the moment with family, friends, teammates and coaches.  

“It was an extremely great day and moment,” Shaw said. “Something that you remember, and you'll always remember. … I've been blessed with a lot of great opportunities to continue to play and continue to learn and grow to keep trying to get closer to achieving the goal of playing in the major leagues and be a successful major leaguer.”

The Maryland product was one step closer to his dream. He acknowledged that few players are drafted into MLB, and even fewer go on to make their big league debuts. Reality keeps him grounded and never allows him to get ahead of himself. His approach has already put him ahead of the curve. 

Shaw's talents were on display early in his professional career. He transitioned from the High-A South Bend Cubs to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in roughly a year, accruing a Future's Game selection in the 2024 season. He won the 2024 Southern League Most Valuable Player award with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. 

Shaw was even named to the United States national baseball team for the 2024 WBSC Premier12 in Tokyo. He was named to the All-World Team as the best third baseman, leading the tournament in RBIs. He helped the U.S. win bronze. 

The infielder was recently named to his second big league camp. There, he has continued to impress the Cubs with his strong work ethic and demeanor, even while recovering from an injury he sustained at the start of Spring Training.

While navigating through the minors, Shaw transitioned to third base. Now, he has an opportunity to win the Cubs’ starting job at the hot corner. He says the day he finally makes his MLB debut will be his best accomplishment thus far. 

“Debuting and playing in the major leagues is what I've been dreaming of for a really long time,” Shaw said. “Anticipation for that, there's obviously a ton of excitement. Just to have an opportunity like that is amazingly unique in a lot of ways.”

The day Shaw makes his big league debut will also be a special day for Swope. He’s coached several others who are making their mark in the big leagues, but Shaw is the next on deck.  

“Seeing people live out their dreams is the biggest thing for me,” Swope said. “It’s something that I've been able to experience several times now, but getting to see these kids live out their dreams that they work so hard for. This is why you coach, and this is why you do it. [There’s] nothing more special to me than to be able to see that first major league game for him and live out that dream. [It’s] something that I know he'll never forget and people can't take away from you.”