Brewers by position: Travis Shaw wants to be 'the guy' at third

PHOENIX - In need of an everyday third baseman and a left-handed power bat, the Milwaukee Brewers believe they filled both needs with the addition of Travis Shaw in the off-season.

The Brewers traded closer Tyler Thornburg to the Boston Red Sox at the winter meetings for Shaw, minor-league infielder Mauricio Dubon and minor-league pitcher Josh Pennington with the idea that Shaw could shore up a position that’s largely been in flux since Aramis Ramirez’s final season in 2014.

Shaw fits the mold of the type of player Milwaukee has been seeking in the early stages of its rebuild – young, ascending and with a team-friendly contract. And Shaw is excited about the opportunity to be “the guy” at third base after what was a disappointing 2016 in Boston.

“I think anybody wants to walk into a situation where they’re looking for you to be that guy,” Shaw said. “Any time you’re in somebody’s future plans, that’s always good. This seems like a really good opportunity for me and this off-season I was probably the most driven I’ve ever been."

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BY POSITION SERIES: SP | RP | C | 1B | LF | SS | 2B | 3B

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Shaw was actually one of the most noteworthy stories of spring training for the Red Sox a year ago.

Despite playing almost exclusively at first base after being drafted in the ninth round in 2011, Shaw lobbied early in camp for a shot at third – a position he hadn’t played regularly since he was in college at Kent State – and beat out the high-profile (and highly paid) Pablo Sandoval for the job.

It was a bold move, but his .338 average, .394 on-base percentage and .887 OPS in the Grapefruit League sealed the deal.

“I made a comment to the media – they asked are you expecting to make this team and I said I’m not only expecting to make this team, I’m expecting myself to start,” said Shaw. “I went into the office to make sure that didn’t come off the wrong way the next day and they were like, ‘No, we love that. Just go out there and do your thing and we’ll see what happens at the end of spring training.’

“They were very open to it.”

Shaw’s season totals were solid: 145 games (127 starts, 99 at third base), .242 average, 16 home runs and 71 runs batted in. But much of that production came in the first half of the season, before Boston acquired Aaron Hill from the Brewers to provide a right-handed hitter to platoon with Shaw.

Shaw bounced in and out of the lineup the rest of the way and eventually was replaced by Brock Holt against Cleveland in the American League Division Series. Shaw hit .269/9/48 in the first half and dropped to .194/7/23 in the second.

“I played every single day the first half of the season,” said Shaw, an Ohio native. “The Red Sox traded for Aaron Hill and I went into platoon mode as soon as he got there and that’s something I’d never done in my career, playing three days a week and sat three days.

“It was something that obviously I didn’t adjust to very well, and it kind of got me out of my rhythm. Then once I got out of my rhythm I got a little frustrated with what was going on.

“I think the platoon role messed everything up originally, but I could have handled it a lot better than I did.”

Hill, Hernan Perez and Jonathan Villar saw the majority of playing time at third for the Brewers in 2016. The hope is that Shaw can cement himself there beginning this season, with he and first baseman Eric Thames providing a couple power bats from the left side of the plate that they haven't had in recent years.

"A left-handed bat that we think can hit somewhere in the middle in the order and be a solid contributor – there’s a lot to like," manager Craig Counsell said.

"Defensively he’s an interesting story. He was largely a first baseman coming up, there was opportunity at third base in Boston last year and he made the most of it. That’s incredibly to his credit. He was not given that at all last year; he impressed people, he worked his way through it and he handled it to the point that he won the job."

Shaw hit .257 with 12 homers and 52 RBI while posting a .762 OPS against right-handed pitching in 2016 compared to .187/4/19/.599 against lefties. Perez, Milwaukee's super utility man, could provide a right-handed complement at third if Shaw again struggles against lefties.

"I’m hoping to be a guy that they can trust to throw out there every day – not just against righties," said Shaw, who turns 27 on April 16. "I’d like to hit against lefties again, too. Last year I didn’t get much of a chance to hit against lefties. Two years ago I fared pretty well against them.

"I don’t consider myself a platoon player right now, and my expectation is as long as I perform like I think I can I’ll be an everyday guy at whatever position they need me at and hopefully be in the middle of the order."

At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds Shaw is among the bigger third basemen in the majors, but he said he plays 7-10 pounds lighter at that spot than first in order to help with his mobility. He committed 16 errors at third in 2016 but also was credited with 10 defensive runs saved.

"The beauty of this game is they come in different shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t have to be one size to fit the job," Counsell said. "There’s challenges, certainly, with his size that he has to be aware of. But that’s how you learn to play it."

Shaw's experience at first base – 78 starts from 2015-'16 – gives him the defensive versatility Counsell likes in his players. Shaw can play left field in a pinch, as well.

Yadiel Rivera and non-roster invitees Eric Sogard and Ivan De Jesus Jr. also have major-league experience at third.

BY THE NUMBERS

7 Players who started at third base for the Brewers in 2016. They were Aaron Hill (55 games), Hernan Perez (45), Jonathan Villar (40), Colin Walsh (nine), Will Middlebrooks (eight), Yadiel Rivera (four) and Jake Elmore (one).

.251 Career batting average for Travis Shaw (210 games from 2015-'16).

29 Career homers for Shaw.

5 Brewers all-star third basemen. They were Don Money (1974, '76), Paul Molitor (1985), Kevin Seitzer (1995), Jeff Cirillo (1997) and Aramis Ramirez (2014).

203 Career major-league saves for Jeff Shaw, Travis' father. Jeff Shaw pitched for five teams in his 12-year career.