February 8, 2026

One of the top prospects in the Cubs' system, Shaw struggled in his first taste of big league action last season. He slashed an underwhelming .226/.295/.394, good for a 90 wRC+. He did contribute 13 home runs and 17 steals, which gave him some value, but it was ultimately a disappointment for Shaw in 2025. What's worse is Shaw seemingly has nowhere to play full time in 2026. The Cubs brought in Alex Bregman to play third, and practically every other position on the team is accounted for. The Cubs plan to play Shaw in the outfield next season, but they've already got three excellent outfielders who will play over him. The best path to playing time for him would be if projected DH Moises Ballesteros struggles, as he only has 66 career PA and is just 22 years old. If Shaw can find playing time he could have some fantasy value thanks to his power-speed combo. He could threaten for 20 or more stolen bags with enough PA. If he can improve his strikeout rate and plate discipline he could hit much better, and that's certainly a possibility as Shaw had excellent K:BB ratios in the minors. We could also see improvement on the .262 BABIP, but Shaw makes such weak contact (84.9 mph average exit velocity last year) that it's no guarantee. The speed makes him worth considering at his draft cost (around pick 210 in NFBC), but we need to see a clearer path to playing time before we can trust him as a steady starter at CI or third in deeper leagues.--Elliott Baas