A nice milestone reached for top Chicago Cubs prospect Matt Shaw, who clubbed his 20th home run of the 2024 season.
That, combined with his 28 stolen bases, makes Shaw the first 20-20 player in the system:
Shaw is going to remain the only minor league Cub who gets there this year. The closest otherwise was Alfonsin Rosario, but the 20-year-old outfielder came up four homers short, and his season at Low-A Myrtle Beach is over. Heck, Shaw is one of only three Cubs prospects who have reached the 20-homer mark this year at all (Andy Garriola with 21, Felix Stevens with 20). Moises Ballesteros is one away, Owen Caissie and Alexander Canario are two away, and Jonathon Long is three away.
Last season, Pete Crow-Armstrong had 20 homers and 37 steals in the minors. In 2022, both Alexander Canario and Jake Slaughter pulled off the trick. Before that, though, you have to go all the way back to 2013 to find the last 20-20 season in the minors for the Cubs. A guy named Javy Báez.
On the big league team, the closest are probably Dansby Swanson (14 HR, 16 SB), Seiya Suzuki (20 HR, 14 SB), and Ian Happ (23 HR, 13 SB). Absent a crazy binge by one of those guys, looks like it won’t happen.