Ranking the 10 most valuable young players in the St. Louis Cardinals organization

#2 - Masyn Winn

For as awesome as Brendan Donovan has been at the plate this year, Masyn Winn has quietly been right there with him, trailing Donovan by just three points in wRC+ (Winn's sits at a 135 on the season).

This is an incredible feat by Winn, as the young shortstop began the year about as cold as possible at the plate, failing to record a hit in his first five games of the season (a 0-21 streak). Since the first five games of the season, Winn is hitting .330/.414/.540 with a .954 OPS and 167 wRC+. That's incredible stuff from Winn in his sophomore season!

On the season as a whole, Winn is slashing .280/.372/.458 with five home runs and 15 RBI, recently being moved up to the number two hole, which is right around the time the Cardinals began to heat up as a club. His continued growth as a hitter has been beyond impressive.

Coupled with his elite glove and arm at baseball's most important position, Winn continues to show why he can be a star in today's game. Winn already has five OAA on the year, and he is using that great range of his and plus-plus arm to make plays that few, if any, other shortstops can.

Winn is just 23 years old and already someone who can win a Gold Glove and be a well-above-average hitter at the plate. I expect him to cool off a bit at the plate all fall from his current production, but if he settles into 10% above-league average or better at the plate for the rest of this season, that'll help establish him as one of the premier shortstops in today's game.

His all-around skillset, positional value, age, and loads of team control all help to pump up his value on this club. I do think there are some parts of his offensive profile that need tuned up over time if he wants to be an impact bat, but for now, Winn knows how to be an asset at the plate even with some of his limitations.

The number one name on this list though has proven time and time again that he knows how to hit with the best talents in all of baseball.