Biography
Matthew James Shaw (born November 6, 2001) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.
Amateur career
Shaw grew up in Brimfield, Massachusetts and initially attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy before transferring Worcester Academy. He played summer collegiate baseball after graduating high school for the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL).
As a freshman for the Maryland Terrapins, Shaw was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Freshman team after batting .332 with 42 runs scored and 30 RBIs. After the season, he returned to the FCBL and played for the Amsterdam Mohawks. Back with the Terrapins, Shaw was named first team All-Big Ten as a sophomore after batting .290 with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs. During the summer of 2022, he played for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he hit .360 and was named the league's MVP. Shaw became Maryland's all-time leader in home runs during his junior season. After the 2023 season, he won the Brooks Wallace Award.
Professional career
The Chicago Cubs selected Shaw in the first round, with the 13th overall selection, of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. On July 14, 2023, Shaw signed with the Cubs for the full slot value of $4.85 million. He split his first professional season between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Cubs, High-A South Bend Cubs, and Double-A Tennessee Smokies.
Shaw split the 2024 campaign between Tennessee and the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, playing in 121 total games and hitting .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs, 71 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. He won the 2024 Southern League Most Valuable Player Award with Tennessee.
On March 17, 2025, Shaw had his contract selected after making Chicago's Opening Day roster. Shaw made his MLB debut on March 18, during the MLB Tokyo Series. Shaw recorded an infield single as his first career hit as a major leaguer the following day. On March 29, Shaw hit his first career home run off of Jalen Beeks of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
International career
Shaw was named to the United States national baseball team for the 2024 WBSC Premier12. He was named to the All-World Team as the best third baseman. He also led the tournament in runs batted in.