First impressions can go a long way. For Giants fans, Chris Shaw certainly didn't show the kind of star potential they hoped for in Shaw's first taste of the big leagues.
Shaw made his MLB debut for the Giants last season at 24 years old on August 31, going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. That was just the beginning to a tough start of his big league career. Over 22 games, he hit just .185 with one home run and 23 strikeouts.
But, he's been here before and quickly turned failure into success.
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SIGN UP HERE "The progression I've made throughout baseball, through summer leagues, high school, through college ball, Cape League, the ACC, and through the minors, I feel like every stop has just prepared me for that next level," Shaw recently said. "Nothing has been easy."
Shaw struggled mightily as a freshman at Boston College. He hit six home runs, but had a lowly batting average of .165 and only a .571 OPS. However, he believes that rough season helped turn him into a future first-round draft pick of the Giants.
"The ACC's not easy, especially as a guy who came from public schools and hadn't really failed prior to coming to college," Shaw said. "I batted .165 as a freshman at Boston College. Coach Gambino had all the faith in the world in me to keep putting me back in the lineup every day because he just believed that I was gonna turn that corner.
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"I don't know that outside of Boston College I get that opportunity. I don't know if I'm where I am today without coach Gambino having that faith in me."
The faith of his coach saw Shaw turn into a star at Boston College. He hit .329 with six home runs and an .895 OPS as a sophomore, and then .319 with 11 long balls and a 1.022 OPS as a junior, his final year in college.
Shaw is a career .275 hitter in the minor leagues with 81 home runs over four years. His raw power is off the charts, as he proved with his first homer in the bigs -- one that sailed 468 feet.
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Though Shaw could use more time in Triple-A to start the season, he'll be in the mix for a wide-open outfield competition. And perhaps, he'll quickly show his potential yet again.