It was all different this time around. His father wasn’t awake for the call — Mom had to tell him. There was a feeling of justification.
Chris Shaw is even a changed hitter.
The Giants slugger was recalled Sunday, one of four prospects summoned the first day the rosters expanded, for a second straight season. Last year, the best news for a promising prospect went wrong immediately, when he struck out 23 times in his first 54 big-league at-bats, looking overmatched. That extended to spring training, where his struggles continued, and a first-round pick in 2015, who had just made his major league debut, was demoted all the way down to Double-A Richmond to begin the year.
“I really feel like I earned it this year,” said Shaw, who earned a promotion to Triple-A at the end of May before earning his way to the majors in September. His walks are up, his strikeouts are down, and the big left-handed bat slugged 28 home runs in 442 minor league at-bats.
“This year’s been a long year. I’m really proud of the work I’ve put in,” said Shaw, who greeted and gave hugs to just about everyone in the clubhouse. “… [I improved] just quality of at-bat. That was the big focus for me this year — not swinging at stuff I can’t drive. Honestly, just relaxing and being competitive. I got away from that last year. I was trying to do too much at the plate. Just really getting back to my roots and just hitting. See ball and react.”
He had to prove himself all over again, both at the plate and in the field. The Giants wanted him to see more pitches, and that’s what he did. The Giants wanted him to be able to play left and first, and he’s able.
“I’ll clean the toilets if they want me to,” he told KNBR, asked where he would play with the Giants.
He’s that happy to be here.
“I teared up a little bit,” Shaw said before the Giants played the Padres at Oracle Park. “You start the year at Double-A. You look at the depth chart and how far away you are. There’s times you’re thinking about: How am I going to get out of this hole? But I never stopped believing, never stopped having faith in myself. Ultimately, I got here, and it’s such a good feeling.”
When he was told Saturday night in Sacramento, he called his parents’ house in Massachusetts — and yes, he’s looking forward to the Boston trip in a couple weeks. His father “wasn’t waking up,” so he told his mother, who relayed the news this morning.
“It was really cool, really special to share this with her,” Shaw said.
With no Trevor Gott and no Reyes Moronta — who was set to have an MRI taken Sunday — the Giants replenished the bullpen with righty Burch Smith and lefty Conner Menez, now a reliever.
“Just come here, show my dominance,” Menez said. “Pound the strike zone and get hitters out.”
