Is Masyn Winn the Cardinals’ Shortstop of the Future?

Is Masyn Winn the Cardinals’ Shortstop of the Future?

by | Apr 14, 2024 | THE THREE SPOT

In case you’ve missed it this week, St. Louis Cardinals “shortstop of the future” is starting to get comfortable at the plate. Masyn Winn, living up to his middle name, is off to a “blazing” start to the ‘24 season.

During a tight contest on Friday night, vs. the 2023 NL Champion, Arizona Diamondbacks, Winn calmly drove a four-seam fastball down the right field line for a stand up, RBI Triple. This timely, three-base hit extended the Cards lead to 8-6 in the eighth inning. The Cardinals would go on to The Cardinals went on to win the contest 9-6. On Saturday he went 2-4 with an RBI bringing his average up to .349.

 

Winn has collected 13 hits in 39 At-Bats. His .333 batting average and two triples, lead the team just fourteen games into the season.

 

Last season, the Cardinals called up their highly touted top prospect in mid-August. Winn had several moments last summer where he shined, showing a little pop in the box and exceptional fielding, but it was an overall struggle for him to hit consistently, as he batted .172, with just 21 hits, in 137 plate appearances over 37 games. 

 

The triple in Friday nights’ game was impressive to behold, as you can see the growth in his game. Winn went with the pitch executed to the upper, outside corner, instead of trying to pull it, which shows Winn has been working on his approach at the plate. 

 

Another example of this was Masyn’s RBI hit this past Monday against the Phillies, to tie the game in the ninth as proof of his adjustment this season at the plate. If you’re still not convinced, how about you get it from the source himself as he told MLB.com:

 

“Last year, I probably would have tried to hit a bomb to win it,” Winn said candidly following a night in which he was the only Cardinal with two hits. “We’ve got some other guys in the lineup for [home runs], so for me, I was just trying to put it in play and hope that something good would happen.”

 

Cardinals manager, Oliver Marmol also heaped praise on his young shortstop’s development. 

 

“He’s doing a really nice job of really slowing the game down and not trying to do too much,” Marmol said. “He’s using the whole field and he’s understanding what type of hitter he needs to be. He takes that at-bat there [in the ninth] and it was good for him to come through because that’s something he can build on.”

 

I know what you’re thinking, “it’s only 14 games, pump your brakes”, and I get it!  It’s early, MLB pitchers will make adjustments, yada yada. However, the idea of this kid’s bat catching up to his sensational glove work, is just very exciting for baseball this season. 

“My Mom Worked So Hard To Help Me Get To Where I Am Today” | Cardinals Shortstop Masyn Winn Excited For Call-Up To Majors

“My Mom Worked So Hard To Help Me Get To Where I Am Today” | Cardinals Shortstop Masyn Winn Excited For Call-Up To Majors

by | Aug 24, 2023 | THE THREE SPOT

When the St. Louis Cardinals drafted shortstop Masyn Winn in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the belief was he’d be the man up the middle for the foreseeable future. Last Friday that belief became reality as Winn made his long-awaited MLB debut.

Winn displayed some real pop in his bat with 18 home runs in 105 games with Triple-A Memphis. That in part is a huge reason why the dynamic two-way shortstop was called up late this season.

 

St. Louis Cardinals No.2 Prospect Masyn Winn Goes Yard Twice For First Multi-HR Game | He Says He’d Rather Accumulate Team Victories

 

Winn, the Cards top-ranked prospect was projected to be called up to begin the 2024 season, but with Cards struggling, and in last place in the NL Central (55-72), team brass decided now is a good time to get Winn some reps and early preparation for the 2024 season. An excited Winn credits his mom and family for their unwavering support in his baseball journey.

 

 

 

  

On Monday, Winn told reporters this about his magical weekend ….

  

“I was telling some of the guys, it might have been a bigger weekend for my family than it was me. My mom worked so hard for me to get where I am today. For it to finally pay off and see them get to reap the rewards, it was fantastic. They loved it.”

 

Winn Collects First Hit In First MLB Game

 

Winn who’s batting .224 with four hits thus far, collected his first hit in his first MLB game on Friday. After the hit Winn’s ball was accidentally thrown into the stands by Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who immediately realized he made a mistake. The ball should’ve been given back to Winn as a keepsake to commemorate his first MLB hit. The fan who caught the ball was more than willing to give it back so that Winn could gift his mom.

 

Alonso apologized, and in an attempt to make amends even sent Winn an autographed bat, and an expensive bottle of tequila. The Mets slugger chopped it up to a complete brain fart, which he apologized religiously for over and over.

 

 

  

 Rookies Get Tacos For Vets

 

While Winn may have been the club’s top prospect, he’s now the young rook, and that means he’s going to get the gopher treatment from established veterans for a while. After a weekend of home games against the Mets, the Cards traveled to Pittsburgh to begin a series with the Pirates, and this is where being the rook doesn’t have its privileges.

Winn said the vets sent he and fellow rookie MLBro Jordan Walker to pick up food. While he didn’t mention if they made them pay, that also usually comes with rookie territory.

 

“Last night we had to go pick up all the tacos for the big dogs,’ so we walked over to get them in our suits,” Winn said. “Jordan’s been great so far, helping me out with things like that. It was cool.”

 

With Walker and Winn now up in the majors, next up is hurler and future “Black Ace” Tink Hence, who’s now the top prospect for the club. Hence, should be get the call-up very early in 2024.

 

“He Wants Me To Be Consistent, To Be Defensively Great Like He Was” | Cardinals Prospect Masyn Winn On Former Cards Great Jose Oquendo’s Expectations For Him

St. Louis Cardinals No.2 Prospect Masyn Winn Goes Yard Twice For First Multi-HR Game | He Says He’d Rather Accumulate Team Victories

St. Louis Cardinals No.2 Prospect Masyn Winn Goes Yard Twice For First Multi-HR Game | He Says He’d Rather Accumulate Team Victories

by | May 9, 2023 | THE THREE SPOT

Masyn Winn is the St. Louis Cardinals No.2 ranked prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No.43 ranked prospect.

The 2020 second-round pick has shown flashes of brilliance at each stop of his minor league career, and the Cardinals expect him to be ready to contribute to the team at the major league level as soon as 2024.

The 21-year-old who was taken out of his school, is seen as a  future cornerstone piece of the Cardinals’ franchise along with dynamic teammate Jordan Walker, who’s already shown his ability to pound MLB pitching, with a record 12-game hitting streak to start his MLB career. 

 

 

During his minor league career Winn has enjoyed pretty consistent success, and has continuously shown improvement in just about every area. Lauded for his elite athleticism and range, two qualities you want your shortstop to possess, Winn has that in abundance.

 

But despite Winn’s success he’d never gone yard twice in the same game, that is until Friday night for Triple-A Memphis and affiliate of the Cardinals. In the team’s 6-2 loss Winn displayed some real power and pop in his bat with the long range bombs, and while he wasn’t happy about the loss, he was happy to tag the pitcher he faced twice.

 

 

 

 

 Masyn Just Wants To Winn

 

A celebratory game for Winn going deep twice in the same game, quickly turned into a team speech from a young player who’s maturely more concerned with team accomplishments than personal accolades. Following the game Winn expressed those very sentiments.

 

“I’d rather go oh-for and get the dub, but it was nice,” Winn said. “That guy on the mound was talking a lot, so to get my first multi-homer game off him was really nice.”

 

The two homers gave Winn five for the season to go along with 14 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 16 walks. He’s also batting .257 with three doubles and a couple triples this season. With a bat and skillset that screams major leagues, the (11-24) Cardinals could probably use him now.

 

“He Wants Me To Be Consistent, To Be Defensively Great Like He Was” | Cardinals Prospect Masyn Winn On Former Cards Great Jose Oquendo’s Expectations For Him

 

Could Winn Get A Call Up To The Show?

 

While that probably won’t happen, rumors have swirled over the last couple weeks that the Cards, who are in need of starting pitching, could part ways with Winn, for a pitcher they’d have under team control for a couple more years. But the team loves Winn’s potential and his relationship with the future face of the franchise Jordan Walker goes pretty deep.

 

 

The Two Ws Are The Future In “Mound City”

 

Both Winn and Walker were 2020 picks, with Winn a second-rounder, and Walker, the team’s first-round selection in the same draft. Taking both in back-to-back rounds gives one an idea of how they viewed the duo as future cornerstone pieces. 

 

 

The relationship between the two MLBbros goes back to draft day and it’s carried over to the field. Winn says he goes to Walker for hitting pointers all the time.

 

“Anything I think about hitting-wise, I’ll go to him and ask, ‘Hey man, what do you see here?” Winn said. “I mean, the way he knows how to hit, I don’t think anybody can replicate it, but I can take little tips from. It’s been great.”

 

If the Cards are smart, they’ll take their lumps now and hold on to Winn, as he and Walker have franchise-changing potential.