Cardinals just swung big with high school shortstop that has Masyn Winn vibes

The St. Louis Cardinals may have just brought in another Masyn Winn to their organization, as they swung for upside by selecting high school shortstop Rocco Maniscalco with the 50th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Maniscalco is the youngest player in the draft (17.2 on draft day) and had reclassified from the 2027 class. He's committed to play for Mississippi State University, but the Cardinals are likely to go over slot here to make sure he signs with them.

His top tool, like Winn, is a 70-grade arm that will allow him to make any throw on the field, and he pairs that with 60-grade defense that could translate into a premier defensive shortstop at the big league level. The athleticism is real, and if the Cardinals hitting development group can help raise his production at the plate as he develops, the Cardinals could have a true star on their hands.

Rocco Maniscalco is another extremely high upside pick for the Cardinals

The Cardinals have now selected two high school bats in this draft, with Trevor Condon as their first-round pick. Prior to this draft, the only high school player they drafted and signed since the 2022 Draft was last year's second-round pick, Ryan Mitchell. This shows a potential shift in the kind of talent the Cardinals are willing to target in drafts moving forward.

Maniscalco is another bet on the Cardinals revamped player development group and their ability to maximize young talent. We've seen major offensive gains in recent years from guys like Joshua Baez, Tre Richardson III, Won-Bin Cho, and many others, so if they can help Maniscalco optimize his offensive profile, that would add to his great defensive base at a premium position.

Maniscalco was able to post really intriguing exit velocities during the MLB Combine, and considering he's barely 17 years old, he's got plenty of time to continue to grow into his frame and add more power to his bat.

So far, I am loving what the Cardinals have done with their draft. The system is in a really strong place right now, and it is allowing them to take some swings on upside for players who could end up becoming premier talents. Maniscaldo is definitely a risk, but it's one worth betting on considering what we've seen this player development be able to do in recent years.

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