Matt Shaw
- The Cubs’ roster as it stands starts at RF · 345 PA · 0.9 WAR in the role
- Injured list 2026: left-hand sprain (Jun 29–Aug 28)
- Trade read Unlikely to be traded: Young and cheap for years (age 25, about $32M of surplus value through 2031): a core piece.
Hitting · 2026
202 PA: percentiles need 300+, so values only
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 98 | .368 | .311 | 15% | 11% | 35% | −0.94 | −0.75 |
| RHP | 104 | .305 | .301 | 19% | 10% | 30% | −0.22 | −0.18 |
- Attack angle
- 10.5° (61% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- +1.1°
- Swing length
- 7.1 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 8%
- Pull-air %
- 12.6%
- Hard-hit %
- 34.3%
- Slash · wRC+
- .237/.327/.410 · 106
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage down and in (+0.9 vs. league per 100; 0.4 standard errors on 39 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest down over the middle (−1.8), but only 0.8 standard errors from average on 38 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average RHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 718 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Shaw: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Cooper Pratt MIL · ’04 | .320 | 1.7 | 1.9 | Signed $3.9M |
| 70 | Travis Bazzana CLE · ’02 | .300 | 2.8 | 2.4 | Pre-arb |
| 68 | Richie Palacios TB · ’97 | .307 | 1.0 | 0.9 | Arb |
| 66 | Luis Rengifo SD · ’97 | .306 | 0.0 | 0.3 | Free agent |
| 65 | Josh Smith TOR · ’97 | .279 | 0.1 | 1.0 | Arb |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | CF | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 28 |
| 2026 | 1B | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 43 |
| 2026 | LF | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 71 |
| 2026 | 3B | 0 | 0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | 218 |
| 2026 | 2B | −1 | 0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | 360 |
| 2026 | RF | +2 | +2 | +0.3 | +2.3 | 859 |
| 2025 | 3B | −1 | −1 | −0.1 | −1.1 | 4,157 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
| Play | Made | Chances | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★★★★★ | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| ★★★★ | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| ★★★ | 2 | 3 | 67% |
| ★★ | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| ★ | 4 | 5 | 80% |
| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | RF | 88 | +4.1 |
| 2025 | 3B | 357 | +6.9 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
* projected arbitration or minimum salary. Contract Studio →
Minor leagues
MLB Stats API · public box-score data
| SeasonLevel | Level | Team | Age | G | PA / IP | PA / IP ·Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026AAA | AAA | Iowa Cubs | 24 | 9 | 36 PA | 36 PA · .303/.361/.364 · 0 HR · 25.0% K · 8.3% BB |
| 2025AAA | AAA | Iowa Cubs | 23 | 24 | 110 PA | 110 PA · .286/.409/.560 · 6 HR · 10.0% K · 15.5% BB |
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant