San Francisco Giants: Time to give Chris Shaw another chance

After starting the season at Double-A, slugger Chris Shaw has earned another chance in the majors with the San Francisco Giants.

Not only did Chris Shaw fail to make the San Francisco Giants Opening Day roster this spring, but he was sent all the way back to Double-A after spending the final month of 2018 in the majors.

That could prove to be the turning point in his career.

Given an extended look as the team’s primary left fielder last September, Shaw hit .184/.274/.278 with just one home runs in 62 plate appearances and a staggering 37.1 percent strikeout rate.

It was clear his approach needed further refinement, and with an abundance of outfielders at the Triple-A level, including offseason additions like Mike Yastrzemski and Mike Gerber, the front office decided to give Shaw a chance to reset.

The 25-year-old spent 45 games at the Double-A level, hitting .288/.368/.500 with seven home runs and 24 RBI before he was promoted to Triple-A where he has continued to rake to the tune of a .304/.364/.594 line that includes 13 doubles and 15 home runs in 53 games.

While the power numbers are great, it’s his improved approach that has him on the cusp of once again joining the MLB roster.

Just look at the progress he’s made in both his walk and strikeout rates:

• 2018: 422 PA, 21 BB, 5.0 BB%, 144 K, 34.1 K%
• 2019: 410 PA, 34 BB, 8.3 BB%, 93 K, 22.7 K%

The Giants offense has hit a rough patch since the calendar flipped to August, and with Alex Dickerson (strained oblique) on the injured list and Steven Duggar (shoulder) also banged up, calling up another outfielder makes sense.

Shaw already has a place on the 40-man roster, so it could be as simple as optioning someone from the team’s eight-man bullpen or the ice-cold bat of Duggar to open up a spot on the active roster.

After taking his demotion to Double-A in stride, Chris Shaw has done everything the team could have hoped in terms of advancing his approach at the plate.

The San Francisco Giants still might have an impact run producer on their hands, he just needs another opportunity to prove himself.