This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CHICAGO -- One of the reasons Matt Shaw was thrilled that the Cubs called his name in this year’s MLB Draft was the belief that they were an organization that would push him. The shortstop wanted to get into a farm system and have the chance to prove he could advance up the ladder swiftly.
“That's something that I look forward to for sure,” Shaw said after the Cubs took him in the first round in July. “I want to move as fast as possible.”
Shaw has already climbed two rungs.
On Wednesday, the 21-year-old Shaw -- ranked No. 6 on Pipeline’s Top 30 Cubs list -- made his debut for Double-A Tennessee and connected for a single in his first at-bat at that level. That came after the shortstop played a total of 23 games between the Arizona Complex League Cubs (three games) and High-A South Bend (20).
“When we think through promotions,” Cubs vice president of player development Jared Banner said, “we want to make sure players are challenged close to the edge of their ability. And with Matt’s performance here in his first 20 games in High-A, it seemed like he was ready for a new challenge. So, we didn’t want to be too conservative there.”
Drafted 13th overall out of the University of Maryland, Shaw started his pro debut by going 4-for-8 with one homer, one double, two steals and two walks in a three-game stay in the ACL. He then hit .393/.427/.655 with four homers, four doubles, three triples, four walks, seven steals, 14 runs and 18 RBIs in his 20-game stint with South Bend.
Overall, Shaw hit at a .402 clip with a 1.135 OPS in his first 100 plate appearances in the Cubs system before getting the call to Double-A. Even so, the promotion was aggressive even for a Cubs club that has a recent history of moving polished collegiate bats up at a quick pace.
• It is possible shortstop Nico Hoerner (first round in the ‘18 Draft) would have reached Double-A in his first pro season after Stanford, but a left elbow injury ended his A-ball season in July. Hoerner was back in time for the Arizona Fall League to close out his first year, and then started ‘19 at Double-A en route to the Majors by September.
• Outfielder Ian Happ (first round in the ‘15 Draft) arrived from the University of Cincinnati and played 67 games in ‘15, topping out at High-A. He returned to High-A in ‘16, reaching Double-A by June that summer. Happ was in the Majors by May of ‘17.
• After Kyle Schwarber (first round in the ‘14 Draft) arrived from Indiana University, he moved through three A-level affiliates for 72 games in ‘14. He began the ‘15 tour at Double-A and then reached the Majors that June.
• Third baseman Kris Bryant (first round in the ‘13 Draft) had a steady climb as the No. 2 pick out of the University of San Diego. Bryant played in 36 games in rookie ball and two A-level clubs in ‘13, got more at-bats in the AFL, debuted at Double-A in ‘14 and found his way to The Show by April of ‘15.
Banner smiled when asked if he was surprised by Shaw’s jaw-dropping production, leading to the quick promotion to Tennessee.
“Not entirely,” Banner said. “When you take a guy with the 13th pick in the Draft, it’s for a good reason. And we knew he was a pretty impressive athlete. A really good hitter. And he has proven to be so thus far.”
Let’s highlight three more prospects around the farm:
Triple-A Iowa: OF Alexander Canario (No. 14)
Through 36 games with the I-Cubs, the 23-year-old Canario has hit .276/.342/.524 with eight homers, 12 doubles, 35 RBIs and 45 strikeouts against 15 walks. He has continued to heat up with more PAs and is one of the farm’s success stories, given the serious shoulder and ankle injuries he sustained in a freak play in winter ball last offseason.
“The health [has been the key],” Banner said of Canario, who had 37 homers and 97 RBIs across three levels in ‘22. “Going back to Triple-A after missing so much time is not easy. I think now he has his legs under him. His swing direction’s really good, and he has that knack for power that we’ve seen so much of in the past. When he’s making good decisions in the box, the ball travels a long way.”
Canario is on the list of potential callups for the Cubs in September.
“For any player that’s performing that well at the Triple-A level,” Banner said, “it’s hard to ignore.”
High-A South Bend: OF Christian Franklin (No. 30)
Franklin, 23, has pieced together a solid August for the South Bend Cubs. Through 72 plate appearances in the month, the 2021 fourth-round Draft pick out of Arkansas was slashing .281/.431/.526 with six extra-base hits and 13 walks, compared to 17 strikeouts.
Single-A Myrtle Beach: LHP Jackson Ferris (No. 8)
Ferris, 19, has made four starts in August, in which he’s spun a 2.20 ERA with 23 strikeouts and nine walks in 16 1/3 innings for the Pelicans. On the season, the lefty -- picked in the second round of the 2022 Draft -- has a 3.19 ERA with 65 strikeouts, 29 walks and just 29 hits allowed (one homer) in 48 innings (16 starts).