After going the pitcher route in the first round three of the last four years, the Chicago Cubs tapped into the college hitter pool for their top 2023 draft pick.
The Cubs chose Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw with the No. 13 pick. Shaw, 21, was considered one of the top college hitters in the draft. He won the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top shortstop and was the Big Ten Player of the Year.
Shaw hit .341 with a .445 on-base percentage, 1.142 OPS, 20 doubles and 24 home runs during his junior season at Maryland. He also stole 18 bases and was caught only once. He showed a good approach and limited his whiffs, drawing 43 walks against 42 strikeouts in 62 games (317 plate appearances).
This marks the third time the Cubs have picked at No. 13. They selected outfielder Tyler Colvin in 2006 and catcher Bill Hayes in 1978. Manny Ramirez (1991), Frank Tanana (1971), Chris Sale (2010), Trea Turner (2014) and Paul Konerko (1994) have the highest career WARs from that draft position.
The Cubs drafted Arkansas right-hander Jaxon Wiggins at No. 68 in the compensation round. They received that pick as compensation for the Cardinals signing Willson Contreras but lost their second-round pick for signing Dansby Swanson.
Here’s a breakdown of the Cubs’ selections in the 2023 MLB draft.
- Round 1: No. 13 (bonus slot value $4,848,500)
- Compensation pick: No. 68
- Round 3: No. 81
- Round 4: No. 113
- Rounds 5-20: No. 149 and every 30th pick thereafter