1. During the 2013 NECBL season, New Bedford Bay Sox fans would hear the
name Chris Shaw over the PA systems, but last night fans who have followed him
closely during his time at Paul Walsh Field were able to hear his name announced
at the Major League Draft, 31 overall by the San Francisco Giants.
Shaw is nothing short of a pitchers worst nightmare when his 6 foot 4 inch frame
stands in the batter’s box. In the 2013 season with New Bedford, Shaw was up
there with the league’s best in a number of top hitting categories; He was top ten in
batting average hitting .335, he was top ten in homeruns with five and he was
second in the NECBL with 39 RBIs. Shaw ended that season being respected as one
of the most prominent power hitting lefties in the country.
After his experience in the South Coast, Chris Shaw would go onto put up similar
numbers back at Boston College. As a sophomore first-baseman, Shaw would lead
the Eagles in nearly every hitting category, a season that would earn him All-ACC
First-Team honors and even more respect as one of the best hitters in baseball.
Chris Shaw was seemingly unsatisfied. During the 2015 spring season, Shaw would
improve upon his college numbers, batting a team-high .319 with 11 homeruns,
43 RBIs, and an outstanding .611 slugging percentage.
Each year Chris Shaw played, the growth in his game was visible. As a freshman
in 2013 he hit under .200. After his summer in New Bedford playing in the
NECBL, his numbers increased steadily each year to the point now where Shaw is
being properly recognized as a top hitting talent.

2. Shaw joins a long list of NECBL alumni who are now taking their talents to the
next level. Since the Bay Sox inaugural season in New Bedford back in 2009, fans
who have taken the opportunity to watch this hidden gem of a collegiate summer
league have had the pleasure to see current Major Leaguers Erik Goeddel (New
York Mets) and Taylor Featherston (Los Angeles Angels) play baseball.
A memory like seeing a professional baseball player before he breaks into the
majors is one that many will be able to experience, because the talent and
competitiveness of the NECBL has grown dramatically throughout the years with the
future of the league looking brighter and brighter with each passing season. But for
now let us enjoy the fact we got the chance to watch a hitter like Chris Shaw
grow into one of the best hitters in the country.