Milwaukee Brewers: Trusting Travis Shaw Moving Forward?

By Brad Kelly | Apr 7, 2017

Apr 4, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw (21) high fives teammates in the dugout after scoring a run during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Travis Shaw has come out of the gates hot for the Brewers so far in 2017, but should fantasy owners trust him enough to already make him a waiver wire add?

The 2017 seasons is still in its infancy, but that does not mean that fantasy owners can resist jumping on the hot hands. Travis Shaw is one of the hottest hitters in MLB so far, offering the Brewers a glimpse of what they gambled on in the offseason. But, can the streak Shaw be trusted moving forward?

Travis Shaw started at third base for the Red Sox in 2016, after hitting his way to take the job. But, he faded quickly after the first two months of the season and finished with a .242/16 HR/71 RBI/.726 OPS over 530 at-bats. Boston then decided to flip him to the Brewers in the Tyler Thornburg deal.

Shaw would once again be tasked with being a starter at third for the rebuilding Brewers and the move was met with praise as it seemed as a great buy-low gamble. Since he would have been nothing more than a CI or UTIL late in drafts this year, he found himself on the waiver wire in a lot of leagues.

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It has only been four games, but Shaw is posting a .357 AVG over 14 at-bats while homering once and has a league-high four doubles. While those surface stats are great, it was all the more impressive to see him already have two hits in five at-bats against LHP this season.

This does not mean that he has all of a sudden figured out to hit lefties, he hit .187 versus them last season, but his opposite field approach was impressive in the series versus the Rockies.

In terms of believing in him moving forward, fantasy owners should feel confident in adding him off the waiver wire. From a pure situation standpoint, he will be in the middle of a solid lineup while playing half his home games in the Miller Park. Milwaukee happens to be the best stadium for left-handed power in MLB, furthering boosting his value.

The AVG can not be depended upon, he will strike out his fair share and the shift hurts him, but he does square the ball up at a solid clip. Last season, he did post respectable 19% LD, 45% FB, 48% Med and 33% Hard contact rates.

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We have seen Shaw get off to fast starts before, so owners might as well ride him while he is one of his hot streaks. It remains to be seen if the slugging Brewer will be one of the better waiver wire adds for the season, but in the short-term, owners should pick him up with the hope he does stay consistent. There is 25 HR/80 RBI upside here.

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