Shaw looks to lead Eagles to tournament

Growing up as a kid in Lexington, Mass., Chris Shaw was surrounded by numerous Boston College supporters. His mom and six other relatives were graduates of the university.

He developed into a major Boston College fan, and now he is an Eagle himself.

Shaw’s journey began after his sophomore year in high school when he committed to play baseball at Boston College. He wasn’t necessarily highly recruited when he made his decision, but he knew Boston College was the right choice. Not only was Shaw a huge B.C. Eagles fan growing up, but the school met his expectations academically and athletically.

“It really liked the combination of both academics and athletics that comes with going to Boston College,” Shaw said. “It is an elite academic institution and it is also a chance to compete in the ACC, so I really liked that.”

Despite being selected in the 26th-round by the New York Mets in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, he remained loyal to his commitment to Boston College.

“I was pretty upfront with scouts during that whole process that I was going to school no matter what,” Shaw said. “I was pretty shocked that I got drafted when I did. I had pretty limited contact with the Mets prior to that. It was one of those things that I randomly saw that I got drafted. I didn’t really understand it.”

Shaw’s desire to become a professional baseball player was always his goal, and he knew it was a realistic possibility during his junior season in high school when he started receiving attention from pro scouts. But, instead he knew attending college was the best decision for him.

It wasn’t an easy start to his collegiate career. During his freshman campaign the outfielder/first baseman hit just .165 with six home runs and 19 runs batted in along with 34 strikeouts compared to only 17 walks in 164 at bats.

Consistency was an issue for Shaw as he faced talented pitching on a daily basis.

This caused him to evaluate his game and figure out what adjustments he needed to make for his sophomore season at Boston College.

“I didn’t necessarily change much mechanically or swing wise,” Shaw said. “A lot of it was how I approached each game. Just going into every game focusing on that at bat I was in at that moment and not worrying about the results as much….just putting all my focus into helping the team win.”

His different approach to each game seemed to work, as he went out and had a monster year. His average jumped to an impressive .329 as he hit six home runs and drove in 45 runs.

Now entering his junior season, pro scouts are taking notice of Shaw once again. MLB.com currently ranks Shaw as the 39th best draft prospect for June’s MLB Draft, and one of the best college position players in the draft class.

The 6-foot-3, 248-pound left-handed hitter possesses a lot of power to all fields and is a solid hitter overall. He sometimes is over aggressive, causing him to strikeout more than desired, but through hard work he has reduced his number of strikeouts year-after-year.

He is also solid defensively, and although he is comfortable at first base and right field, scouts believe he will play first in pro baseball due to his lack of speed.

Shaw is a talented baseball player with a team first attitude, and if he is able to continue to produce at a high level, show consistency and cut back on his strikeout numbers, he has the potential to be a first round pick.

Right now though, Shaw isn’t concerned about the draft. Instead, he is focused on doing whatever he can to help lead the Eagles to a successful conference season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

“I wouldn’t say I necessarily have any personal goals, but I always want to go to the ACC Tournament and the NCAA postseason,” Shaw said. “It all comes down to helping the team win as much as possible.”

It won’t be easy for the Eagles however, as they are coming off of a 22-33 season and will have to face some of the top teams across the country in conference play. But, if they can play up to their potential, they will have a shot at making some noise this season.

“I think we just need to play up to our potential,” Shaw said. “We get in trouble a lot when we become a little complacent and not playing up to our ability. If we can come out with a chip on our shoulder and play good baseball, I think we can be pretty competitive this year.”

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