Christopher James Shaw (born October 20, 1993) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...
who is a free agent. He has played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
.
Amateur career
Shaw graduated from
Lexington High School in
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...
. He was drafted by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in the 26th round of the
2012 MLB draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...
, but he did not sign.
Instead he enrolled at
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
where he played
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
, mostly as a right fielder.
In his junior year he batted .319/.411/.611. In 2014, he played
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
with the
Chatham Anglers
The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
.
Professional career
San Francisco Giants
Shaw was drafted by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in the first round of the
2015 MLB draft
Fifteen or 15 may refer to:
*15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16
*one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015
Music
*Fifteen (band), a punk rock band
Albums
* ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005
* ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...
, signed for a $1.5 million
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
,
and was assigned to the
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their home ...
, where as a first baseman he batted .287 with 12 home runs (leading the Northwest League) and 30 RBIs in 64 games.
In 2016, Shaw began the season with the
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark.
Games
San Jose Giants ga ...
, and was later promoted to the
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...
; in 132 games between the two teams, he posted a combined .267
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
with 21 home runs and 85 RBIs and 125 strikeouts in 502 at bats.
He spent 2017 as a left fielder with both Richmond and the
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
, slashing a combined .292/.346/.525 with 24 home runs (leading the Giants organization), 79 RBIs, and 132 strikeouts in 469 at bats and an .871 OPS in 125 total games between the two clubs.
He began 2018 with Sacramento.
In 2018 the Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
he batted .259/.308/.505 with 24 home runs (8th in the
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
, and leading the Giants organization) and 65 RBIs and 144 strikeouts (6th) in 394 at bats.
Shaw was called up to the majors for the first time on August 31, 2018, and made his debut that day. On September 3, he hit his first major league home run against the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
. Shaw ended up batting .185 in 22 games, with one home run and 7 runs batted in. He struck out 23 times in 62 plate appearances.
[Young, Jeff]
"San Francisco Giants: When will Chris Shaw get another chance?,"
FanSided
FanSided is a fandom-focused sports, lifestyle and entertainment network of more than 300 websites. It was co-founded and launched in 2009 by brothers Zach Best and Adam Best.Gounley, Thoma"Fan-focused websites started by Hillcrest grads acquire ...
(May 25, 2019).
In 2019, the Giants organization kept Shaw on the 40-man roster but demoted him back to Double-A Richmond to work on his plate discipline.
On May 30, 2019, after 45 games with Richmond, with whom he batted .288/.368/.500 with 25 runs, 7 home runs and 24 RBIs in 160 at bats, Shaw was promoted to the Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...
, with whom he batted .298/.355/.592 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in 282 at bats.
On September 1, 2019, the Giants promoted Shaw to the major leagues, where he had 18 at bats.
On November 20, 2020, Shaw was designated for assignment.
Baltimore Orioles
On November 25, 2020, Shaw was claimed off waivers by the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
. On January 26, 2021, Shaw was designated for assignment by the Orioles following the signing of
Freddy Galvis
Freddy José Galvis (born November 14, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the San Die ...
. On February 1, Shaw was outrighted. In 20 games split between the High-A
Aberdeen Ironbirds
The Aberdeen IronBirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in the city of Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. They are the High-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and compete in the South Atlantic League. They were previously members of th ...
and Triple-A
Norfolk Tides
The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...
, Shaw struggled to an .067/.243/.150 batting line with 1 home run and 6 RBI. On August 2, Shaw was released by the Orioles organization.
Long Island Ducks
On August 17, 2021, Shaw signed with the
Long Island Ducks
The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor-league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "partne ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
. He became a free agent following the season.
Wild Health Genomes
On March 23, 2022, Shaw's rights were acquired by the
Wild Health Genomes
The Wild Health Genomes were an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 2022, they are a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an MLB Partner League. The Genomes are owned by the same grou ...
in a trade that sent the Long Island Ducks the second overall pick in the annual player draft. Shaw played in 110 games for the Genomes in 2022, slashing .264/.401/.459 with 17 home runs and 72 RBI. He became a free agent following the season.
Chicago White Sox
On February 10, 2023, Shaw signed a minor league contract with the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
organization. In 57 games split between the Double–A
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...
and Triple–A
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...
, he batted .197/.332/.425 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI. Shaw was released by the White Sox organization on August 2.
Spire City Ghost Hounds
On August 11, 2023, Shaw signed with the
Spire City Ghost Hounds
The Spire City Ghost Hounds are a professional baseball team in Frederick, Maryland, that began play in 2023. The franchise competes in the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and plays home games at Nymeo Field at Har ...
of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...
. In 22 games for the Ghost Hounds, he hit .197/.307/.382 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI. On September 15, Shaw was released by Spire City.
[https://www.atlanticleague.com/stats/transactions/]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Chris
1993 births
Living people
Aberdeen IronBirds players
Baseball players from Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Birmingham Barons players
Boston College Eagles baseball players
Charlotte Knights players
Chatham Anglers players
Kentucky Wild Health Genomes players
Long Island Ducks players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Norfolk Tides players
People from Stoneham, Massachusetts
Richmond Flying Squirrels players
Sacramento River Cats players
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players
San Francisco Giants players
San Jose Giants players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Spire City Ghost Hounds players