Matt Shaw ends his first full-season in Cubs' farm system with biggest honor yet

Amid an impressive year full of high praise and even higher hopes, Matt Shaw has earned one last major honor to cap off his season. The Chicago Cubs' first-round draft pick from 2023 has just been named Southern League MVP despite splitting his time between Double-A Tennesse and Triple-A Iowa this year. The news comes just a day after Baseball America crowned him the team's prospect of the year across all levels of the minors.

Though Shaw was promoted to Triple-A in early August - alongside his fellow top prospects Kevin Alcantara and James Triantos - the bulk of his time was spent with the Tennessee Smokies. In 83 games, he slashed an impressive .279/.373/.468 with a 148 wRC+, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases to his name. And again, he did this all in his first full pro season, showing that the white-hot start to his career last season was just the beginning.

Among all Southern League players, the 22-year-old infielder's wRC+ ranked second only to Gustavo Campero, who's four years his elder. Extra encouraging about Shaw's performance, however, is that he also struck out and walked at elite rates, leaving him with the fourth-best strikeout-to-walk ratio of 0.69. It bodes well for his major league future that he's managed to keep that low-strikeout, high-walk approach through all levels of the minors thus far too.

There are a ton of discussions to have in this upcoming offseason about where the organization is heading, but it's clear that one question in need of answering is how to get Shaw at-bats in the majors. As if his Double-A numbers weren't good enough, he continued to crush pitching in Iowa to the tune of a .298/.395/.534 slash line and 142 wRC+. Depending on what moves are made, he may be in the running for an Opening Day roster spot. Even if he starts in Triple-A though, his stay there isn't likely to be long if he continues hitting for similar numbers.

Although the team has Nico Hoerner, Isaac Paredes, and Dansby Swanson locked up at second, third, and shortstop while Seiya Suzuki transitions to DH, there are some, albeit tricky, ways to start getting Shaw involved. The Cubs seem primed to make a trade or two this offseason which could include an established player like Hoerner to restructure the offense. Shaw could still force the issue and justify playing time while giving regulars rest throughout the season, but that's not really the team's M.O. They've thus far been reluctant to promote guys if there's not a clear path to playing time. Something has to give in 2025.

The Chicago Cubs have tough decisions ahead with top prospects

With how many farm hands the Cubs have nearing the majors, this offseason will be critical for evaluating who will play a part in their future. There's no way the team can accommodate all of the players they have knocking at the door to the majors and this year was a big one with the stock of several big names shooting into the stratosphere. Between Shaw, his fellow Southern League All-Star Triantos, Alcantara, Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, and more, they have potential pieces to trade for impact players that can finally get them over the hump. The meteoric rise of Cam Smith also gives them extra Top-100 caliber depth, showing that they still have talent rapidly rising at other levels.

Of the group, though, Shaw seems likeliest to be a star right now, something reflected on rankings at where he's now their top prospect. If his consistent dominant play and stream of accolades are any indication, he could have a long and fruitful Major League career ahead of him.