The Chicago Cubs had the opportunity to kick off the 2025 MLB season on March 18 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While it would ultimately end up being a four-to-one loss for the Cubs, they showed some positive signs and did well up until an untimely collapse in the fifth inning.
Chicago did end up promoting their top prospect Matt Shaw to make his MLB debut in the Tokyo Dome, which is a pretty amazing opportunity for the young infielder.
While he did struggle in his first game, he had the opportunity to face MLB-level pitching and see what that is like in a regular season game for the first time.
Shaw spoke recently about the opportunity to play his first game in Tokyo, and what making his MLB debut was like in general. The Marquee Sports Network shared a clip from this interview, where he stated:
"I mean I'll remember everything about Japan. Y'know just being able to explore, being able to be here in an amazing atmosphere in the Tokyo Dome, having all the teammates...everyone was really excited, it was almost like a debut for a lot of guys just in this country, and for a lot of ways. Y'know, but I'll remember everything about it, yeah."
Shaw would have the opportunity to make his debut as a five-hole hitter, between Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson. However, in his four at-bats, he had two strikeouts, a ground out, and a pop-out, as well as a throwing error in the sixth inning.
It was not exactly the perfect debut by any means, but at the same time, it gave him reps against the best of the best, and he needs as much playing time as he can get to develop at this level.
He did have a solid spring training which is a good sign, as in six games he had 16 at bats, .313/.421/.375 slash lines, four RBI, four runs, three walks to one strikeout, and a stolen base.
If he can begin to get a handle on MLB pitching and see the ball a little bit better, he should be able to start producing sooner rather than later.
He is the top prospect in the Cubs system for a reason, and giving him time at the MLB level can only help his development in the short term future.
Going up against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in your MLB debut, in a foreign country, be
