By Jon Sargalis

2021 Mohawk Matt Shaw was named one of the three finalists for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for National League third basemen following his rookie season with the Chicago Cubs.

The other third base finalists were Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies and Ke'Bryan Hayes who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds in 2025.

Versatility is clearly one of Shaw's strengths. He played second base and center field for the Mohawks in 2021. At Maryland he played shortstop and was drafted by the Cubs in 2023 as a shortstop. With 2x Gold Glover Dansby Swanson already at short, a position change was in line for Shaw again.

There were some questions early in the season if Shaw could handle the hot corner, but he quickly answered those concerns. He played 124 games at third in 2025, the 5th most in the National League. He had a .977 fielding percentage, 3rd best among NL third basemen, 80 putouts (5th most), 214 assists (4th most), and turned 18 double plays (5th most).

Ultimately the Rawlings Gold Glove Award went to Ke'Bryan Hayes this season. Shaw’s name also came up in Rookie of the Year voting, where he finished in ninth place as Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin took home the award. On the American League side, almost Mohawk Nick Kurtz of the Athletics was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year. Kurtz was set to come to the Mohawks in the summer of 2022 following his freshman year at Wake Forest, unfortunately it was decided that he would be shut down for the summer. You can still watch the interview on our YouTube channel where he talks about his excitement for what he thought would be his upcoming summer in Amsterdam here.

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