Shaw impressed with his performance at the tail end of the 2015 season, and after he put up a strong showing in spring training, he usurped Pablo Sandoval for the starting job at third base. Shaw rewarded the Boston brass for this decision immediately, as he slashed .302/.362/.527 with seven home runs and 35 runs batted in over the first two months of the season. Things went south quickly from there, as the whiffs continued to pile up and the hits refused to fall, bringing his season batting average down to .242 while hitting just nine more home runs over the rest of the season. The flash of excellence Shaw displayed should warrant some intrigue from fantasy owners on draft day, although the struggles are also hard to ignore, which led the Red Sox to trade him to the Brewers. This change in scenery could bode well for Shaw, though, as he's expected to be a near-everyday third baseman with home games in an extremely hitter-friendly environment.

Shaw made a few trips to Boston from Triple-A Pawtucket, eventually sticking with the team after the Red Sox unloaded Mike Napoli at the trade deadline. With no obvious replacement for Napoli on the major league roster, Shaw got ample playing time during the final two months and thrived. He showed some good pop with a decent .261 career average in the minors, but his production at the major league level was a surprise. It could be a case where a relative unknown – Shaw was a ninth-round pick in 2011 – has initial success before the league figures him out. There’s not a clear path to at-bats, as the first base job isn’t open for Shaw in 2016. Hanley Ramirez will be trained to play there, so Shaw’s versatility (he’s played 1B, 3B and LF) will be his ticket to head north with Boston.

Shaw, a ninth-round pick in 2011, struggled to hit for average during his first tour at Double-A Portland in 2013 (.221), but did manage to slug 16 homers while walking 14.7% of the time. Commitment to his approach paid off, as Shaw exploded for a .305/.406/.548 line and 11 homers in just 47 games with Portland to begin 2014, earning a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket less than two months into the season. Upon joining Pawtucket, Shaw saw his walk rate dip by more than five percent (from 13.9% to 8.1%) and his ISO fall by more than 70 points (from .243 to .169), but he still finished with 29 doubles, 21 homers and 78 RBI for the season. The Red Sox added Shaw to their 40-man roster in November, which may prove to be precursor to him earning a utility role at some point in 2015, but it remains to be seen if he'll be the successor to Mike Napoli at first base in 2016.

Shaw, a ninth-round draft pick in 2011, showed some good promise in his first full season in the Red Sox organization. He has an advanced approach at the plate and feasted on the lower-lever pitchers in High-A Carolina League, bashing 16 homers and hitting .305 for Salem. That earned him a promotion to Double-A Portland, where the pitchers are better. He was challenged there and will continue to be as he advances through the system. His swing has some holes and will need to improve his contact rate against pitches in all hitting zones. He's not an overly athletic player and grades as average defensively at first base. He's a baseball guy with a good work ethic, meaning Shaw has the drive to maximize his abilities. He'll open the 2013 season at Double-A Portland.