The Keepers - #19 - SP - Scott Shaw

19. Scott Shaw – SP – AA - 23.5/yrs.

Shaw was drafted by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 2008 draft.

http://www.cstv.com/: Illinois junior right-handed pitcher Scott Shaw (Gurnee, Ill.) was selected by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Friday, becoming the second Illini player drafted in 2008 along with Kyle Hudson, who went to the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round. In addition, incoming freshman Willie Argo (Davenport, Iowa / Assumption HS) was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 49th round with the 1,473rd overall selection. "It's been a dream all my life and I couldn't be happier," Shaw said. "The Mets are a great organization and I couldn't ask for a better club to be with." Shaw, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound starting pitcher, went 4-4 with a 7.83 ERA in 2007, making 11 starts and tossing two complete games. He struck out 48 batters in 56 1/3 innings and walked only 24 batters, which ranked seventh in the Big Ten. In conference games, he gave up only 38 hits, which ranked third. Shaw has been pitching for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League this summer, where he ranks second in the league with 18 strikeouts. He has been solid in 13 innings over two starts, allowing just seven hits and four runs while walking three for an opponent batting average of .156.

September 2008: Brooklyn pitching coach Hector Berrios on: Scott Shaw and Chris Schwinden: “These guys are both tacticians on the mound and they rely on spotting the ball. Their game is being able to locate their pitches and change speeds. They did an impressive job of that this season. I think Shaw was one of our most underrated pitchers and if you take two or three bad innings away from him, he was the best pitcher in the league this season.”

In September, Patrick Hickey wrote on: Scott Shaw- If there was a “bizarro world” version of Steve Trachsel, it could only be Scott Shaw. Not only does work quickly on the mound, he gives up a ton of ground balls, is extremely efficient with his pitch count and has excellent control. Not a strikeout pitcher by trade, Shaw benefited from having four pitches [fastball, curve ball, changeup and a slider] he could throw for strikes in the NY-Penn League and doesn’t figure to be one in higher levels. Big, strong and with a great work ethic, Shaw is going to be another pitcher worth following. Final Grade- B+

February 2009: MYOB on: - Scott Shaw RHP - At 6′5″ he’s got nice height, but he doesn’t have overwhelming stuff. He throws strikes, which at the lower levels translates into good numbers. In A ball he was at 2.80 after 14 starts with 79 K’s in 74 innings. He continued to achieve success in the Hawaii League, finishing with a 2.51 ERA after 7 starts. His walk to K ratio is 24 to 114. As he moves up it will be interesting to see if he can continue with that success.

He was a three year starter for Illinois, with some really questionable stats, so the pick was controversial at best; however, he immediately proved his value when he joined Brooklyn for the 2008 season: 6-3, 2.80, 1.09, in 15 games, 14 starts.

In 2009, he continued his winning ways (8-8, 3.73, 1.32) with Lucy and goes into the 2010 season with 2-year combined pro stats of: 14-11, 3.43, 1.25, 197-K, 223.2-IP.

Forecast: Shaw bores you to death with his efficiency. 2009 was not a good year for Mets’ AA-A+ pitchers, but Shaw was a bright spot. He will never win you the strikeout leader, and he’s probably projected as a SP5 at best (think Brian Bannister), but the Mets will stick with this kid unless things go ga-ga in AA. I’m thinking his future is in the Citi-pen.