Cardinals young prospect has stellar showing in spring debut

St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect Masyn Winn went 3-3 and had a laser of a throw in his 2024 spring debut.
Feb 19, 2024; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) plays catch at spring
Feb 19, 2024; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) plays catch at spring / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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Shortstop Masyn Winn is the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect in many rankings this offseason. He has even been placed in the top 50 on national lists. Given the fact that he is the team's most reliable shortstop, his ascendance is paramount to the team's success in 2024.

In Winn's spring debut on February 25th, the shortstop hit leadoff and ended his day going 3-3 with a double and a stolen base. Winn's value is elevated by his Gold Glove-caliber defense. His arm was put on display when he lasered a seed from deep in the infield when tracking to his right away from first base.

Winn was unavailable for the spring opener during the team's split-squad games against the Miami Marlins and New York Mets due to back tightness. The shortstop's health is vital this season; with Tommy Edman's uncertainty to start spring and a dearth of true shortstops at the upper levels of the minors, Winn's development and health are keys to the team's success in 2024.

Keep in mind, spring training isn't predictive of a player's performance in the regular season. Rather, it is a time for players, coaches, and even umpires to refine their crafts for the grueling 162-game marathon that is the MLB season. While it is great to see Masyn Winn play well in his spring debut, there is still a lot of time left in the baseball epoch that is 2024.

Masyn Winn had a taste of major league games last season. In only 137 plate appearances, Winn slashed .172/.230/.238 with 2 home runs and 2 stolen bases. He struck out in 19% of his at-bats and walked in 7.3% of them. This was his first taste of the highest level of baseball, so regression compared to his minor-league stats was expected. The hope is that he has a better showing offensively this year while maintaining his stellar defense. The starting shortstop position is his to lose.

The Cardinals' Spring Training broadcast schedule can be found here. Stay tuned to Redbird Rants all spring for breaking news, deep dives into games, and other compelling stories.

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