Keith Law predicts All-Star appearances for newest Chicago Cubs prospect

On the heels of the National League defeating the American League in the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star game on Tuesday night, one MLB draft insider is predicting future All-Star game appearances for the Chicago Cubs' newest prospect.

In the first round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft on Sunday, the Cubs selected University of Maryland infielder Matt Shaw.

The selection of Shaw may signal the Cubs' desire to find impact bats in the near future. The early belief is that Shaw may be on the fast track to the Major Leagues and that could be a path that sees the team's newest prospect make his way to Wrigley Field in 2025.

That was the premise of The Athletic's Keith Law's evaluation of the Cubs' selection of Shaw.

"Shaw was sort of a favorite of mine — I ranked him seventh in the class — so of course I love this pick, and he could be a quick mover to the big leagues if the Cubs just slide him over to second base. Shaw can flat-out hit, and makes hard contact with a swing that produces a lot of line drives, so there’s reason to believe the big power he showed for Maryland will carry over to 20+ homers when he gets to the big leagues."

Keith Law via The Athletic

Law also went on to say that he believes future All-Star game appearances are in order for Shaw.

Of course, the biggest question for Shaw will be what position he projects at. All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson is in place for the next six seasons and second baseman Nico Hoerner signed a three-year contract extension prior to the start of the season. Third base may be a possibility for Shaw but his arm strength was one of the weaknesses that saw him fall out of the top 10 in the draft.

Regardless, Law's evaluation of Shaw should provide more validation for the reasoning why the Cubs went with the power-hitting infielder as opposed to a pitcher in the first round of the draft. The Cubs, as an organization, lack power and that is the very reason why Shaw may be at Wrigley Field sooner rather than later.

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