Meet The New Guys: Travis Shaw

The Toronto Blue Jays signed the versatile Travis Shaw to a 1 year, $4 million deal. The left-handed hitting Shaw should receive lots of playing time this year as a Jay, as throughout his 5 year career he has shown an impressive ability to play all around the infield, seeing time at first, second and third base in 2019. Shaw will likely be the Jays opening day first baseman, while also spending time in the DH role, and at third when Guerrero needs some time off (according to Montoyo).

For the Jays, it’s likely part of the motivation for signing Shaw is that he’s somewhat of a familiar face, albeit in an unfamiliar setting. During his stint with the Red Sox, Shaw hit 4 home runs against the Blue Jays, and hit for a .270 batting average in 113 plate appearances. Charlie Montoyo, is also familiar with the utility infielder from his years with the Tampa Bay Rays, as Shaw hit for a strong .309 batting average against the Rays, clearly leaving a lasting impression.

Shaw was placed on the IL in May 2019 with a wrist strain, returning to the team in June. He struggled mightily, forcing the Brewers to option him to AAA multiple times throughout the season. Factoring in the missed time, both due to injury and minor league stints in 2019, these are Shaw’s numbers over the past three seasons, showing 2019 as a clear outlier:

When playing a full season, Shaw adds pop to any lineup, and should be able to cash in many of the young guys all year long, bringing together the Jays’ offense as a veteran player. One critical aspect from his 2019 season that the Jays will need to correct is his strikeout issue. Shaw nearly doubled his strikeout rate, although his walk rate didn’t differ much from the previous two seasons, signaling health concerns could’ve been the issue rather than a change in approach or a reduction of his plate discipline skills.

If everything goes to plan, then the Jays have a very talented power bat they can use to alleviate the toll of the 162 game season for their younger players, especially in a hitter friendly park. At the very least, his veteran leadership, which includes postseason experience in 4 different seasons, will prove significant in this Blue Jays rebuild.