Young Cardinals star confirms why this year's team is different from recent duds

The "Tarps Off" sensation has swept the nation after the St. Louis Cardinals took members of the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team into the clubhouse to thank them for injecting energy into Cardinal Nation. As the Cardinals get ready for one of the most important stretches of the season to this point, they will be doing so with some of the best vibes in the league. The rebuilding Redbirds are actually near the top of the standings, and shortstop Masyn Winn believes the new-look roster has helped create new levels of confidence in the young players.

When compared to Cardinal teams of years past, this young roster is built in a completely different way than we are used to. Most successful St. Louis teams featured a mix of veterans and younger players, with those older players taking control of the clubhouse and teaching "The Cardinal Way" of playing the game. This offseason, though, we saw Chaim Bloom change course, removing the high-priced and underperforming former stars from the roster in order to give the inexperienced guys some consistent opportunity. This new clubhouse has created a fresh, entertaining vibe around the roster that Winn feels is a breath of fresh air from his first few years in the bigs.

Masyn Winn says this season is the most fun he's had as a professional

With a new-look pitching staff and seeing Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, and Paul Goldschmidt take their talents elsewhere, there were plenty of questions about who would lead in the clubhouse this year. However, it appears that there is not just one guy taking control, but actually the full team coming together and becoming a cohesive unit.

In a recent article by John Denton, the former Cardinal writer shared quotes from the exciting shortstop, who gave credit to the clubhouse energy for the team's surge in the standings. The entire article does a great job showing what the vibes look like in the locker room, but Winn had a few quotes that really point to the difference. He first shouted out how this season is the most fun he has had while playing baseball in the bigs, and gave credit to the shirtless Stephen F. Austin club baseball team for bringing that new energy.

"I just love this team because we’re finding a different way to win every night with a different person every night. Everybody is pulling for each other, and this is the least selfish team I’ve ever been a part of. I went 0 for 3 today and I’m pumped we got the win. When we get a win, it feels like we all win – rather than the past few years … This team is different, man. I’m just glad that we’re going to get to play together for a long time."

Masyn Winn

As Denton's article said, Winn feels this team is the least selfish team he's ever been a part of, which alleviates the pressure for each individual feeling the need to perform. This creates a feeling of confidence that even if one person does not cash in on a big moment, the next man up will get it done. With one of the youngest rosters in the entire league, with only two players above the age of 30, the baby Redbirds are surpassing all expectations as the schedule heats up.

As the Cardinals get ready to face their division opponents multiple times over the next few weeks, this could be a stretch that we look at as the defining moment of the season. Regardless of the final record at the end of the year, this roster should be seen as the building block for the next great Cardinals team.

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