Masyn Winn and Tink Hence receiving guidance from Cardinals greats

The St. Louis Cardinals are entering an era where the young players will be given the chance to lead the team. Gone are the days of wily veterans and future Hall of Famers like Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Adam Wainwright. Even younger leaders like Brendan Donovan and Ryan Helsley have been moved recently

For the first time since the inception of the All-Star Game in 1933, the Cardinals' Opening Day lineup will not feature a player who was previously an All-Star.

Don't tell that to the young guns looking to take over the roster.

While the Cardinals roster lacks experience — barring any major transactions, the average age of the starting lineup will be 25.7 years old, and that could teeter lower if Lars Nootbaar is still hurt — it more than makes up for that rawness in fire and a can-do mentality. Having a deep stable of Hall of Famers across the organization doesn't hurt either.

St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Jason Isringhausen are working very closely with Masyn Winn and Tink Hence.

Masyn Winn is entering a year where many are predicting him to take off. The Gold Glove recipient is looking to maintain his plus-plus defense while improving at the plate and on the basepaths. He's using Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith as a person to lean on in the process.

Ozzie Smith, who boasts 13 Gold Gloves himself, played shortstop for the Cardinals for 15 years before retiring. The Wizard is best known for backflips on the infield and range that can hardly be beat. There are few better legends to learn one of the toughest defensive positions from than Ozzie. Winn working with him will be beneficial for the young shortstop's career, especially considering Winn has been open about a willingness to be a long-time Cardinal.

"(Masyn Winn) has a great work ethic, great fundamentals. When you make it here, you're here for a reason," said Smith. "From this point after last year, it's just see how much better he can get."

Other Cardinal legends including Yadier Molina and Jason Isringhausen have also already made their presence felt at spring training. Molina has been seen working closely with catchers when it comes to throwing base stealers out and backpicking sneaky runners. Molina has also worked on instilling a hard work ethic in the club's young catchers, especially Pedro Pages.

Former closer and franchise save leader Jason Isringhausen has also been busy helping the young pitchers throughout camp, particularly Tink Hence. Hence, a former top organizational pitching prospect, has fallen in prospect rankings over the last two years due to a plethora of injuries. Now, he's fighting to prove health and ability now that he's on the 40-man roster.

According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Hence and Izzy have been working together closely. "Jason Isringhausen took a quiet moment with Tink Hence to have a conversation about professionalism and ownership of a career," wrote Jones.

For most of his time as a prospect, Hence has been seen as a starting pitcher. However, as he once again recovers from another injury, the likelihood of him entering the bullpen grows with each passing week. There are few better relievers to learn from than Jason Isringhausen.

The St. Louis Cardinals have a myriad of Hall of Famers and franchise legends. Ozzie Smith, Yadier Molina, and Jason Isringhausen represent a minority of these legends. Adam Wainwright is set to join camp in the near future, and David Freese has also been rumored as someone who could make an appearance at camp. With so few veterans on the roster, the young players who are poised to lead the Cardinals into their next competitive window must now lean on their own gusto and a stable of baseball greats.