9 Cardinals who have been on fire the first month of the 2024 season, 9 who are cold

The St. Louis Cardinals are through the month of April, and to say it's been a mixed bag of results thus far would be quite an understatement.

Sitting at 14-116, their record leaves a lot to be desired, but considering many of the struggles that key players have had, one would expect their record to be a lot worse. The reason they have been able to float around a .500 record so far is that for every player who has been struggling, there has been someone else who is performing at a high-level.

Let's review the ten players who have been on fire to begin the season and the ten players who have been ice-cold thus far.

On fire: Masyn Winn

If you made a list of players who were ice-cold to end the 2023 season, Masyn Winn would have been at the top of that list. Naturally, many fans thought he may struggle to begin the 2024 season. Instead, Winn has emerged as one of the Cardinals' most important and productive players thus far.

The rookie is second on the team in OPS (.785) and has come up clutch both at the plate and in the field. Winn's poise and confidence have allowed his raw tools to shine.

If Winn keeps up this performance all year, he'll be in the National League Rookie of the Year race and would have far exceeded expectations. Everyone knew Winn had a bright future in this league, but he's way more productive than anyone would have thought this early in his career.

Winn's early success isn't just encouraging on an individual level and for his future in this league, but it may be something that the Cardinals desperately need if they are going to compete for a playoff spot this season. Winn's energy and all-around game is the exact kind of thing that could lift the spirits and momentum of this team, should he continue this level of play as the season goes on.

The Cardinals have gotten a lot of flack early this season for the struggles of top prospects once they get to St. Louis, but so far, Winn is bucking any trend that people are trying to point out.