Shaw started his baseball career at Washington Senior High School, located in Washington Court House, Ohio. While he was enrolled at the University of Rio Grande, he attended a tryout camp for the Cincinnati Reds during the summer of 1985, where he received little attention. He and his mother then drove to Columbus, Ohio to try out with the New York Yankees at the home field of New York'sClass AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. He drew the interest of scouts by upping the speed on his fastball from 84-85 to 93 mph while he played in a semipro league in Washington Court House. Shaw played for Cuyahoga Community College-West, but transferred to Cuyahoga Community College to be eligible for the draft. Shaw was the first pick of the beginning round of the 1986 amateur draft, signing on May 11, 1986.
Major League career
Shaw made his major league debut on April 30, 1990. He played three seasons at Cleveland before going to the Montreal Expos, where he stayed for three more years. After a one-season stint with the Chicago White Sox, Shaw moved to the Cincinnati Reds to be closer to his hometown and family. After an unexpected trade to the L.A. Dodgers, Shaw played another three seasons before retiring. He played his last game on October 6, 2001. Shaw received many accolades and awards during his career. In 1997, he won the National LeagueRolaids Relief Man Award, as he led the NL with 42 saves and recorded a 2.38 ERA. He was also selected to the National League All-Star team twice, once in 1998 and again in 2001. He was selected to the 1998 All-Star Game as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, but was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the beginning of the All-Star break, thus his first game he pitched as a Dodger was in the All-Star Game. Shaw featured a split-fingered fastball as his strikeout pitch.
Traded to Dodgers
On July 4, 1998, the Reds traded Shaw to the Dodgers for Paul Konerko and Dennys Reyes. This trade was not what Shaw wanted. He had signed a three-year extension with the Reds after he won the Rolaids Reliever of the Year Award for the 1997 season. Though he could have bargained for a higher rate elsewhere, he was willing to sign at a discount, so he could commute from Washington Court House, a little over 70 miles from Cincinnati, when the Reds were at home to be near his wife and small children. Shaw's agent, Joe Bick, claimed that they had asked the Reds’ general managerJim Bowden for a no-trade clause, but no such provision was ever put into Shaw's contract. Shaw was called out of a game to take a call from Bowden when he was told that he would be traded to L.A., which was, in Shaw's words, "’…the farthest place from Washington Court House.’" Because Shaw had so recently signed a long-term contract, he was entitled to ask for a trade. To keep Shaw, the L.A. general manager, Kevin Malone ended up spending more than he bargained for. Shaw signed a three-year, $15 million contract making him the one of the highest paid closers in the league. His wife and children moved out to California with him.
Family
Shaw is married with three children. His son, Travis Shaw, currently plays first, second and third base for the Toronto Blue Jays.
