St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn is in his second full season in the Majors, and while he still has work left to do to reach his potential, fans have seen glimpses of long-term potential.
After flashing some leather in the Cardinals' series over the weekend against the San Diego Padres, the 23-year-old reflected on his status as part of one of baseball's most storied franchises.
“Offensively, I’m still working on some things, but defensively, I feel like I’m that guy and I love that my teammates and staff think that about me,” Winn said, via John Denton of MLB.com. “I want to be here for a long time, and making a play like that [on Saturday] is going to allow that to happen.”
In 100 games this season, Winn is hitting a respectable .270 with an OPS+ just a tick under the league average at 99. He also has a strikeout rate of only 17.3 percent, well below the league average, and an encouraging sign for a young hitter. On the bases, he ranks in the 78th percentile in sprint speed, though it hasn't helped his lofty stolen base goals just yet.
But as Winn noted, he's still working on the offensive part of his game. Defensively, he shines, grading as a shortstop with elite range and one of the best arms in the game at his position, per Baseball Savant
His manager, Oliver Marmol, seemed enamored with his young shortstop.
“He’s an electric player, and he can beat you in a lot of different ways,” he said. “This is a guy who can hit for power and beat you, use the whole field and beat you, and beat you on the bases. And he can definitely beat you defensively. That’s the style of player you can build around, and he’s continuing to grow. His overall mindset is that he’s going to give you everything he’s got.”
