Matt Shaw's latest offseason accolade is a reminder of his role in the Cubs' plans

The graduation of Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Major League level this past season has elevated infield prospect Matt Shaw being viewed as the Chicago Cubs' top prospect in a farm system that includes eight prospects listed among MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospect rankings.

It was MLB Pipeline that named Shaw as the Cubs' positional prospect of the year for the 2024 season.

The 2024 season was Shaw's first full-season in the Cubs' farm system and it was confirmation of the initial draft reviews that evaluators had at the time of the 2023 MLB Draft. When Shaw was drafted by the Cubs in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, the belief was that he could ascend quickly through the Cubs' farm system.

Shaw began the 2024 season with Double-A Tennessee where he slashed .279/.373/.468/148 wRC+ with 14 home runs. Shaw ended the season with Triple-A Iowa where he posted a slash line of .298/.395/.534/142 wRC+ to close his season with 7 home runs.

Matt Shaw's offseason accolades will fuel an important 2025 season.

Shaw figures to be at the center of the Cubs' offseason plans. The early indication is that the Cubs will avoid any aggressive additions to address their offensive need as the team may be planning on giving runway to Shaw and fellow top prospect, Owen Caissie. Of course, that runway for Shaw may include a creative trade of Nico Hoerner.

On the pitching side, Brandon Birdsell was named the Cubs' pitching prospect of the year. Across 27 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Birdsell posted a 3.91 ERA. It was likely handed to Birdsell given that he had 134 strikeouts against only 31 walks in 135.2 innings pitched.

Birdsell turns 25 in March and likely will be in contention for a spot on the Cubs' pitching staff at some point during the 2025 season.