Cubs rookie Matt Shaw has stood alone offensively over the last two weeks

While the Chicago Cubs seem to have all but locked themselves into a Wild Card spot and have at least an outside shot in the NL Central race, they've managed to get in their current position despite the offense being mostly dismal since the All-Star break. It's been so bad, as a matter of fact, one has to wonder where they would be without rookie third baseman Matt Shaw.

Shaw, Cubs fans will remember, started the season so poorly that he was at one time demoted, and talk of the deadline was that the club needed to acquire someone like Eugenio Suarez to man the hot corner. In the end, the Cubs had enough faith in Shaw that they neglected to go after anyone to replace him, deciding to acquire utility infielder Willi Castro instead.

Matt Shaw hits while the Chicago Cubs offense continues to be stagnant

Shaw has rewarded the Chicago Cubs for their faith in him, especially when the team's offense has been more bad than good. In fact, over the last two weeks, there are a few Cubs that can claim they're actually performing. The rookie third baseman is the only guy who has consistently managed to come through when it counts the most.

Over the last two weeks, Shaw has slashed .257/.357/.743, and while that batting average isn't great, he leads the Cubs in a ton of different stats, including home runs (four) and triples (two). Shaw has seen underlying metrics like average exit velocity and hard-hit rates shoot up since the All-Star break, and his overall numbers show that's led to a more confident hitter at the plate.

Now the trick is for the rest of the Chicago Cubs to start hitting alongside him. Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker, and Pete Crow-Armstrong have all gone through prolonged slumps since July. The team can't expect to be able to lean on its rookie infielder for the rest of the season, but they'll take whatever he can do for however long he can do it, for sure.