Chicago Cubs Rookie Standout Emerges as Strong Contender for Year-End Honors

The Chicago Cubs could have a serious contender in the National League Rookie of the Year race, assuming he makes the team.

Michael Brauner | Feb 25, 2025

Cody Scanlan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs head into the upcoming season with some serious expectations as a franchise.

With numerous trades and signings putting the team in a position to end the four-year playoff drought and potentially even contend for in the National League, expectations are high for the Cubs.

For all the new faces in Chicago however, the most significant could have a chance to come from within. Top prospect Matt Shaw looks primed to make his Major League debut and depending what the plan is at third base could step into a starting role from Opening Day.

Though the Cubs' long-attempted courtship with Alex Bregman indicated the team may not have been extremely comfortable relying on a rookie to man one of the most important positions on the roster, Shaw is seen as someone who can step in right away and not just contribute but shine.

During an appearance on MLB Network, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline talked about the impact Shaw could have straight out of the gate if given the opportunity.

"I really like Matt Shaw," Dykstra said. "He's got power that works to all sides, he could be a 20-20 guy at just five [foot] nine [inches]...obviously [the Cubs] are in win now mode so they will look at multiple options...I think Matt Shaw could very well be in the Rookie of the Year consideration if he's given 140+ games for the Cubs."

While Shaw has not yet played an inning of Major League Baseball, his numbers this past season in the minors strongly indicate he's ready to make the jump and excel straight out of the gate. Slashing an impressive .279/.373/.468 in 86 Double-A games in 2024, Shaw was able to climb to Triple-A to finish out the tail end of the season.

Instead of taking time to adjust to the increased level of competition, Shaw went on a tear over his 35 games in Iowa, slashing .298/.395/.534 for an OPS of .929.

Blasting seven home runs and 21 RBI in just over a month of action at the Triple-A level, Shaw made a definitive statement that he is coming, and coming fast.

Whether or not the signing of Justin Turner complicates Shaw's chances of starting with the big league roster remains to be seen, but if he does get the opportunity to take the biggest stage of his life, his career trajectory indicates it will not be too much for him. Quite the contrary in fact, he could be one of the best rookies in all of baseball and demonstrate to Chicago they had no choice but to play him right away.

Cubs fans are certainly ready to see the future franchise cornerstone and with just a few weeks left before Opening Day, it won't be long until they find out if the team feels the same way.

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