Third base: After a winter of workouts in Wisconsin, Travis Shaw ready to flex his muscles for Brewers

Fourth in a position-by-position series on the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training. Today: Third base.

PHOENIX – Travis Shaw discovered an unexpected benefit while experiencing his first Wisconsin winter: It’s much easier to stay inside and work on your craft.

With that in mind, the Milwaukee Brewers third baseman spent a lot of time at Miller Park, becoming the baseball version of a gym rat. Five days a week, Shaw worked out with team strength and conditioning specialist Josh Seligman while also hitting in the indoor batting cage.

It only took a casual glance in the mirror for Shaw to see the difference.

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“This off-season was probably the most I’ve spent in the weight room, and I did make some noticeable strength gains,” Shaw said. “I’m pretty excited about that.

“This is probably the greatest shape I’ve ever been in, in my career. Being able to work out at the stadium made it a lot easier. I didn’t really do much else.”

That proclamation should strike fear in the hearts of enemy pitchers because Shaw, 27, is coming off an impressive season in which he smashed 31 home runs and 34 doubles while driving in 101 runs and compiling a .513 slugging percentage in 144 games.

When it was suggested his increased strength might lead to even more homers, Shaw smiled and put up the stop sign.

“I’m not even going to go there,” said Shaw acquired in a trade with Boston in December 2016. “I don’t even want to think about hitting home runs because it gets me in trouble. For me, it’s just continuing to be consistent, drive the ball the other way. For me, it’s to try to hit 40 doubles more than it is to hit home runs.

“Last year, I had a pretty decent year but I'd like to have a little better finish to the year than I did last year. So, physically, I think I've put myself in a good position to last a whole season without wearing down. I'm looking to play at least 155 games. I want to play every single day.”

Like many hitters in the Brewers’ lineup, Shaw did slow down in the second half of the season, dropping from a .938 OPS at the break to .768 afterward. But he also was playing with a personal burden on his mind constantly during that time.

His daughter Ryann was born on June 9 with a severe heart abnormality that threatened her life and forced two early surgeries. When the Brewers were home, Shaw spent every waking moment away from the ballpark at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin with wife Lindy, keeping vigil in the neonatal intensive care unit.

How Shaw was able to focus on baseball during those weeks and months was a testament to his focus and mental toughness. Ryann finally was discharged from the hospital after the season, but the Shaws chose to stay in Milwaukee over the winter instead of retreating to their off-season home in Florida so their precious daughter could stay near her doctors.

With wife and daughter back in Milwaukee, Shaw forges ahead with a different feeling in this camp than last spring, when he was a new and had to prove himself. The work never ends but Shaw no longer has to win a job, and therefore he can concentrate solely on his daily routine and getting ready for the season.

“I’m sure my workload won’t be as heavy this spring as it was last spring,” said Shaw, who tied for third last year with 70 plate appearances in exhibition play. “My eyes are set on March 29 (the season opener in San Diego).

“At the same time, I want to get that feeling I get every spring training. My goal is for it to come in mid-March. Last spring, I didn’t know anybody here. The coaching staff didn’t know me. It was prove-yourself mode. It’s still prove yourself because I want to still hit in the middle of the lineup.”

Manager Craig Counsell often said last season the easiest spot to fill on his lineup card was cleanup, where Shaw batted 134 times. The Brewers acquired two new offensive forces over the off-season in outfielders Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, but as high-OBP performers, they likely will hit above the fourth spot much of the time. 

“We’ve added some good players,” Counsell said. “For all of these things, we’ll have choices. Travis is going to play a ton, and he’s going to produce a ton. If you do, you’ll find out you’re in the middle of the lineup."

More than anything, it was an offensive fade by the Brewers in the second half that dropped them from a 5 ½-game lead in the NL Central at the all-star break to one victory shy of the league’s second wild-card berth. With Yelich and Cain added to the mix, Shaw believes the lineup will be a force to be reckoned with, from start to finish.

“You've got two great on-base guys in Yelich and Cain and that set the table for the middle of the order, whatever that order's going to be,” said Shaw, who likes it so much in Milwaukee that he is hopeful of being offered a contract extension at some point. 

“I think everybody is excited about what we can do offensively. I think I’ve shown I want to be the guy (to drive in runs). But there will be plenty of opportunities for that lineup, especially the top half to the middle of the order.”

After pumping up during his first Wisconsin winter, Shaw is ready to flex his muscles.

By the numbers

143 Starts at third base for Travis Shaw in 2017.

9 Errors made by Shaw last season.

.850 OPS by Brewers third basemen in ’17, fourth in the NL.

115 RBI by Brewers third baseman last year, third in the league.

.937 OPS by Shaw on the road last season.